Pipeline Sabotaged, Oil flow stations close.

According to BBC, the cause of a recent leak in the Trans Ramos pipeline was confirmed "to have been caused by sabotage." This event was preceded by the announcement from Mend ( the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta), a Nigerian militant group, that stated the truce they had created with the government last October was now over. Due to this sabotage, the pipeline's owner, Royal Dutch Shell, has declared they will be shutting down three oil flow stations.

After evaluating the situation some analysts question whether it was indeed Mend, who stated that "residents should be given a greater share in profits from oil resources and land", that sabotaged the pipeline or rather another militant group that had recently disagreed with President Yar'Adua's offer of amnesty.

This article speaks strongly about the current workings of Democracy in Nigeria. Attacks on pipelines is all too familiar to Nigeria over the past few years and has caused billions of lost revenue every month. Considering that Oil creates a hefty sum of the wealth in Nigeria, one can wonder how long will the current status of the democracy remain, when billions of dollars are being lost every year. With the truce called off, Mend has stated many of the oil companies should prepare for all out war against the establishments and personnel of their companies. With the President still absent from Nigeria, one can only imagine how the next few weeks will play out

Grade This Post.

Picture Source

Hillary Clinton blames Nigeria leaders for extremism

Following the failed Christmas day terrorist bombing, the Nigerian government has faced increased scrutiny regarding its competency at controlling the radicalization of impoverished youths. In an article by BBC News published January 27th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accuses the Nigerian government of failing to stem the growth of radicalization in their country. Clinton believes the rampant poverty and widespread corruption are the primary factors behind the rise in extremism. Though Nigeria is presently not a harbor for al-Quaeda, many Western diplomats fear the current social and political climate make it an undeniable target. In order to quell extremism in the country before it becomes an international threat, Clinton suggested the government confront the issue in ways other than "military means."


The significance of this out lashing against the performance of the Nigerian government is extremely apparent in the political institution of the country. To be admonished by the world's sole superpower definitely arises the question of governmental legitimacy. If foreign nations are critical of a given country's policies, it is likely its citizens will become wary of the current political organization. This article also heavily relates to the social level of Nigeria. The government has thus far proven itself to be wholly incompetent at controlling the spread of extremist acts and enrollment in the country. If the politics of Nigeria fail to pacify an already chaotic region, it might compromise the already feeble Democracy and usher in a military rule.


Photo Credit: BBC News

Grade This Post

The End of Peace

The Niger Delta stands on the brink of another Violent period, according to the BBC Article "Nigeria Militants 'end truce in Delta Oil Region'" posted on January 30 2010. Jomo Gbomo, who said he is the spokes person for the Militant group MEND, has stated that the Truce that was given during October has now ended, and that any Oil Company that leaves their workers in the Delta region is responsible for what happens. The group MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) has demanded that the government give a greater share of the profits from the oil to the residents of the delta. It is not known whether this is the entire organization of MEND or just a Faction that is rejecting an offer of amnesty that has been offered by President Umaru Yar Adua. However, analysts say that Oil Companies may need to go back to working below two-thirds capacity.

This article most directly to the idea of Legitimacy, though it touches upon the concepts of Globalization, Social Cleavages, and Sovereignty. If there is a military organization that is attacking oil companies and government forces, than there is a serious lack of legitimacy in the government among the people of the region.

Grade this Post.

Picture source: BBC News

Exploring the Roots of Conflict and Violence

Photo credit- The Economist website

In times of economic and political strife, people tend to resort to radical and extreme measures for various reasons. As stated in a January 28th article from The Economist, the global economic downturn as well as outsourcing of manufacturers from Nigeria to China have subsequently resulted in violent clashes between the two main tribes in Nigeria which are separated among religious lines. Nigeria's heavy reliance on oil and its wealth has rendered other industries severely dehabilitated and the country's lackluster electric and transport systems has driven the price of production to such highs that companies now look elsewhere for similar alternatives. Therefore, unemployed Nigerian workers turn to violent religious sects whose words of aggression sound appealing to men left with no other options. These groups tend to attack their area politicians who often use money meant for opening jobs for their own benefit instead. Lastly, many of these politicians endorse Sharia law (law governed by Islam) simply to gain votes as opposed to an actual belief in that system of law, further angering these groups. Only time will tell if these problems will be solved or exacerbated even more by a lack of involvement and change.

This article from The Economist exemplifies several aspects of our study of governments: economic development and performance, globalization, whether democracies are really suited to help the poor and the relationship between political and economic changes. First and foremost, Nigeria's deep dependence on oil brings to mind the question of whether the country can be called a democracy just yet. Having one sector and its wealth dominate the economy in the hands of a lucky few while other industries are ignored and the majority of the citizens are left attempting to make ends meet is not typical of most democracies. Second, the negative effects of globalization can be seen especially in northern Nigeria where manufacturers can now afford to choose China over Nigeria (due to China's superior infrastructure) as their place of production because of the relative low cost of global transportation. Nigeria's lack of a fully-developed infrastructure once again undermines its true ability to be a democracy, because one of the prime factors that have enabled all of the current developed democracies to be where they are is the presence of smooth and interconnected systems of utilities and communication. This also raises the concern of whether the system of democracy as a whole is adept to aiding masses in poverty- it may be that countries like Nigeria would be better suited to a socialist or welfare state in order to close the rich/poor gap and develop a middle class, another key in developing a democracy. Lastly, the faulty relationship between political and economic change in Nigeria shows the need of a change in government planning. The article states how politicians neglect the needs of their constituents and focus instead on increasing their own wealth. All of these problems pose a threat to Nigeria's potential democracy and one cannot help but wonder when things will take a turn for this African nation.

Grade this post.

Nigerian Agency Under Fire after Christmas Day Bombing

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport- picture courtesy of aschweigert from Flickr.com

The world stood in shock as news of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt to blow up a plane en route from Amsterdam to Detroit this past Christmas began to spread. As the United States and Dutch officials began to piece the puzzle together, one aspect particularly stood out- the fact that the would-be bomber's father had warned the Nigeria's National Intelligence Agency of his son's extremist views. Many in the country and out wonder how the agency chose to disregard this hefty piece of information from Abdulmutallab's own father, who is also one of Nigeria's most prosperous businessmen as well as a former minister in the government. This oversight has caused a great deal of Nigerians to lose their already faltering faith in their government as the true story behind Abdulmutallab starts to unravel. Click here to read the article.

This article posted by the New York Times brings to mind several questions- how the National Intelligence Agency could ignore a critical warning from a rather important figure, whether the oversight reflects the ineptitude of similar agencies and bureaucracies and how this will affect the way Nigerians view their government. The last question seems to be the most important, as it relates to citizens' belief in the legitimacy of their governing system. Although Nigeria is a blossoming democracy, many problems, such as the corruption present at both state and local levels, threaten to hinder Nigerians' faith in their government. In addition to the unsure fate of their ill leader and ever-present ethnic clashes, the last thing Nigerians need to worry about is whether other countries view their country as dangerous. As the article states, "Nigerians, sensitive about a host of stains on their image abroad, including corruption and religious violence, are angered that terrorism has now been added to the list." Therefore, this article provides us with a clear example of just how important citizens' assurance in the legitimacy of their government is.

Grade this post.

Cabinet forced to rule on President Yar'Adua

Due to the two week absence of the ill President Yar'Adua, unease has begun to spread among the people and the government of Nigeria. It has been rumored that the current status of the President is much worse then what has been publicly announced. Fearing a power vacuum, the cabinet has been forced by a court decision to declare if the President is fit enough to continue his duties as president. This decision must be made within 14 days. Some Nigerians feel this may bring around a change for the better, noting that President Yar'Adua was "failing to abide by the provisions of the constitution" and "forgot" to "hand executive powers to his deputy, as required by the constitution."

This event clearly shows how important legitimacy is for a Democracy. Nigeria's President seemed to be failing to abide by his own constitution and because of this, legitimacy is low, as seen by the numerous riots and climbing concerns of the people of Nigeria. The Political Culture of Nigeria at this time is also in disarray, considering that there's really no one currently "in charge" of Nigeria but, thankfully, this absence of leadership will have to be filled within the next two weeks.

Grade This Post.

Source of Picture

'Blood oil' dripping from Nigeria

In this article by Andrew Walker from BBC News, thousands of tons of oil are being clandestinely siphoned from Nigerian pipelines illegally and pumped into waiting barges. These barges then disembark to larger ships, which subsequently head to tankers to ship their goods to international markets. The entire process occurs before daybreak, and costs the Nigerian government billions of dollars annually. Oil smuggling (also called "bunkering") is usually run by politically untouchable "Godfathers", individuals who have helped form a booming industry at the expense of the government and legal corporations. Aided by young armed militants, oil smuggling is threatening the lives of all who live on the Nigerian Delta; the chaos surrounding the process has given forth the term "blood oil", similar to the "blood diamonds" of West Africa. The national government makes no attempt to halt the illegal activities, as they are essentially paralyzed by fear of a military uprising or coup that may rise in protest of their interference with the valuable blood oil.

The significance of this situation is apparent is several aspects of Nigerian society. For one, the fact that the nation is losing billions of much needed dollars to oil smuggling is surely a policy issue, since the practice has had a dire effect on Nigeria's economy. It has also influenced the social climate of the Nigerian Delta, as the region has been thrown into chaos by the cartels. The political institutions of the nation have displayed their weakness, since they have no reign over the potent Godfathers. The fear of a potential political change (military insurrection) keeps them from stopping the industry from further crippling the country.

Grade This Post

Photo Credit:BBC News

Riot's Calm and Rebuilding Begins

In the Nigerian City of Jos, The quiet of the last 24 hours is finally starting to be replaced with the sounds of people moving, searching, and packing. According to the article "Nigerian authorities relax city curfew" From January 22, 2010, The easing of the 24 hour curfew has allowed many people to either return home or flee the city, as the Riots of the last four days come to an end. In fact, the riots between Muslims and Christians have caused hundreds of deaths, and religious leaders from both sides are using this new found time to start planning the burials.

These Riots show us a very easy-to-see example of a social cleavage in Nigeria: the Middle Belt, which is the socially turbulent area between the mainly Muslim North, and The Christian Dominated South. when a social Cleavage can even break to the point to Violence on both sides, it's easy to see why studying social cleavages is very important.

Photo Credit to AFP

Grade This Post.