Nigerians continue to die from incidents related to oil theft, tragically showing in stark terms the true cost and real curse of Nigeria’s oil.
When Nigeria fortuitously struck the black gold deep in the nondescript sands of Oloibiri, Bayelsa State, even the colonialists who were packing their bags to leave Nigeria at the time could not have foreseen how completely the precious resource would rewrite the country’s history, largely in black.
More than 60 years down the line, while Nigeria as a country has largely flown under the radar of international development, languishing in what is largely a rut, oil has arguably become the most valuable natural resource in the world. It is a profound irony that just as Nigeria has become one of Africa’s richest countries as oil wealth has poured in, its citizens have travelled dourly and sourly in the other direction, becoming some of the world’s poorest people. Indeed, according to the World Bank Group, more than 100 million Nigerians live below the international poverty line, living on less than three dollars per day. Beyond forging and fostering a deleterious culture of corruption, this disconcerting disconnect between Nigeria’s national oil wealth and the quality of life of its citizens frequently unleashes a fusillade of deadly consequences.
