Dear Readers,
I just want to turn your attention to this great article by the UK Guardian about the ongoing problem of oil spills, oil leaks, oil bunkering and other oil challenges. This article examines the oil spills in the Niger delta, Nigeria.
Nigeria's agony dwarfs the Gulf oil spill. The US and Europe ignore it. by John Vidal
There is enough oil 'spilled' in Nigeria to easily dwarf the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Activists and citizens of Nigeria are watching how the US handles this challenge--and wish that their governments and the oil companies that operate there would be anywhere near as proactive and responsive.
I will be headed there soon myself! Will keep you posted.
Best,
Alena
From a reader:
ReplyDeleteAlena, This is a very important issue. I was amazed and enlightened in one of my last classes at the Naval War College (I'm ony one class short of my MA National Security and Strategic Studies). I took an elective in African History and Cultures - terrific course, taught by one of the best minds/experts in this topic area. We had to do a research paper as a major portion of our grade. I chose to study the oil issues, especially MEND - I wanted to know what was really behind their anger and their movement. My professional background (which is very diverse) includes expertise as Lean Six Sigma Black Belt so I am trained to define problems, understand what the root causes are of issues, and then be able to identify areas and recommendations to improve - to correct whatever the problem is. I used those skills in my research, which went back methodically in history of this oil issue in Nigeria. I was truly amazed at what I found,and the root causes of the issues seem clear.