Nigeria , Africa 's richest economy , has always been
dogged by claims of oil -related corruption ,
transparency , and environmental damage . But
theft of oil is taking it to another level .
The country faces its worst oil crisis in years as
criminal gangs make off with billions in stolen
crude . Theft is no small matter for a country which
gets almost two-thirds of its revenue from the oil
industry .
Nigeria produced 2 . 25 m barrels of oil per day , but
around 400, 000 barrels of those are stolen -
meaning the government lost $ 8 bn in revenue last
year . And worse yet, independent think-tank
Chatham House believes money is even being
laundered through international banks.
With stolen oil , onsold to Asia, Latin America and
the US, as well as dirty profits for the criminals
and , some would say , corrupt figures within
government and industry , the process is
troubling .
This is a part some people will not like to hear, but we will say it here for historical purposes. When the great Biafran leader, Col. Dim Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu was granted a state pardon by President Shehu Shagari in 1982, the Ikemba soon contested for Senate under the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN), but did his people vote for him? Lest we also forget, he contested for the presidency, how many votes did he got even in Anambra? Let us bring in Chief Alex Ekweme. We recall, despite being founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),he contested for the party nomination for president in 2002. We all remember how the South-East governors then did all they could to outdo themselves to be seen to be more loyal to President Olusegun Obasanjo than even his own ministers. There was nothing wrong in all these for these people as long as it all guarantees fat bank accounts and unmerited rewards. No one talks about Biafra when contract figures are inflated; Biafra makes no sense ...
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