In fact it can be affirmed that without oil today, man’s ability to adapt to the dynamics of life will be almost point zero if not zero itself. So it can be said that man’s life is almost dependent on oil for survival. But one thing that is so surprising about this thing called oil is that in as much as it is very important in the life of man; nature did not readily spread it all over the world.
While it is richly spread across some geographical regions, in some others it is short in supply and in others it is not found at all and yet every man needs it for survival.
Therefore in today’s world nations would clamor and do anything to have it in abundance. Even nations, which do not have it, do not bother to wish that they had it but would rather do anything humanly possible to have or obtain it from those that have it in excess.
Another case in hand is that even countries which have it would want to use every means possible to get it across to their own border from other countries which have it.
Similarly, countries which have it and those which do not have it would clash to obtain it from others that have it. Lastly countries, which have it sometimes form a cartel to use it as a form of political or diplomatic weapon against those that are in dire need of it.
Now one finds all these events playing themselves at different times and at other times these events happen simultaneously. Thus we find countries aligning with themselves to work against themselves in some instances having some form of counter alliances against themselves. And usually when these things happen, you find countries feelings betrayed and thus going to war with those countries they have felt stabbed them in their backs.
Even in a country, governments and government official sometimes get into rumpuses because of the booty which accrues from it. The masses also feel cheated because in most cases, they begin to question the movements of the funds generated from these crude oil or from those generated from its refined products. The skirmishes or imbroglio which oil has generated has gained most prominence in the 20th and this young 21st century. This is due to the fact that leaders even go down to the extent of committing all sorts of atrocities and scandalous acts for their selfish ends. Even every sense of shame eludes them when they carry out these crimes.
The Teapot Situation was a U.S. scandal involving high government officials in the Warren Harding administration. In this case Albert B. Fall, secretary of the interior, persuaded President Harden to transfer the administration of the U.S. naval petroleum reserves from the secretary of the navy to Fall’s department. In secret negotiations without competitive bidding, Fall issued leases, which granted certain companies exclusive right to oil and gas at Teapot Dome reserve, Wyo and the Elk Hills and Buena Vista Hill reserves, in California. A Congressional investigation and resolution (1924) revealed that Fall had received more than $200,000 in Liberty bounds from companies benefiting by leases. The Supreme Court ruled the contracts fraudulent and in a criminal action Fall was convicted of bribery.
The latest of these atrocities has been the so-called American war on terrorism. Since the September 11th attack on the U.S, the Bush’s administration has focused more on executing war, rather than improving the lives of the American people. After the Gulf war of 1990-1991, nobody had thought that America would revisit the Iraqi issue. But immediately after ousting the Taliban government of Afghanistan believed to be harboring the Al Qaeda Network, the American government began to point accusing fingers on Iraq for possessing weapons of mass destruction.
The Bush’s administration being drunk with power after defeating the Taliban Government drove out the United Nations’ weapons inspection team that had been given a task of inspecting the weapons of Iraq. America eventually launched an attack on Iraq against global warnings. The Iraqi government under the brutal and inhuman Sadam Hussein who himself had taken over Kuwait because of the oil in the oil-rich but small country, was dethroned and thus went into hiding, where he still is.
The world had expected that after the ouster of Sadam and his government, the U.S would leave Iraqi people alone to set up their own government and possibly only need to supervise if the need arises. But what every pundit have predicted is coming to pass, as it is now so glaring that there are other motives for the American Government’s persistent sit tight approach in Iraq. Now Mr. Bush is asking for another $84 billion dollars to be approved by the congress for the completion of the war on Iraq. The question then is; what is America’s interest in wasting that enormous amount of money on war for? The truth must be said and that is the fact that the oil of Iraq has always been the interest of both father and son. The American Government cannot imagine the reason why the Iraqi oil has to be put under the care of the United Nations after series of sanctions has been imposed on Iraq by the international community. America needs the world’s oil and that of Iraq cannot be excluded. So whatever it takes must be done to ensure that this aim is achieved.
In Africa the situation has been the same. In this work Nigeria should be the case study.
A country which is the 6th largest producer of oil in the world according to the report of the Oil Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Cartel also happens to be ironically the second poorest country in world rating. The leaders of this potentially rich country are no doubt the most corrupt from its head to its bottom. A country which makes an average of $50.4 million on a daily basis from oil alone is plagued with poverty at the highest level.
Basic infrastructures such as potable water, electricity supply, food, good roads and employment (to mention a few) are totally lacking and debased. Yet the governments and their officials brandish all sorts of affluence and arrogance in the midst of poverty ridden people. The Warri region of Delta State of Nigeria where the largest amount of crude oil is found is totally in a chaotic state right.
The corrupt practices of the various governments of Nigeria has over the past one decade paid little or no attention to the problems created by the communal clashes in the region. Even the oil companies have merged with the government of Nigeria to use these people against themselves. Ignorantly, these people fight themselves believing that they are enemies of themselves, where as their enemies are not around them. Unknowing for them their enemies abound in Abuja, Lagos and some other cities.
Recently a Coup d’Etat was organized in Principe and Sao Tome by some military men who had taken over power from the president, after he had gone on tour to Nigeria. Obasanjo, the President of Nigeria, amazingly restored the government without any form of blood shed whereas on the issue of Guinea Bissau, the president of Nigeria seconded the views of the military by allowing the military to remain to help restore the country to another so-called democratic government.
Perhaps what Nigerians do not know is that Sao Tome and Principe has found black gold in its shores and their government which does not give account of how it spends their money; has already disbursed some millions of dollars to the Sao Tome government to help make the dream of exploiting the oil a reality.
Officials of governments and governments all over the world has refused to let their conscience guide them on matters of oil. And they would readily loot, steal and kill at the slightest opportunity when oil matters come in focus. The cases of Sadam Hussain of Iraq and that of the past military junta of General Ibrahim Babangida of Nigeria readily come to mind.
Oil politics and the corrupt practices associated with it have become pandemic and is now a global phenomenon. Funny enough, the problem seems intractable. But let’s hope that sooner than expected all these will change. After all, the only constant thing in life is dynamism or change if you like.
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