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Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers.

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world.

From Our Own Correspondent: Niger Delta

Niger Delta

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Niger Delta

Max Pearson introduces a special essay by the BBC's Nigeria correspondent, Will Ross.

Personal insights from BBC correspondents around the world. Max Pearson presents an  essay by the BBC's Nigeria correspondent, Will Ross: How is the country tackling oil theft in the Niger Delta?

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world, presented by Max Pearson. Today, a special essay by the BBC's Nigeria correspondent, Will Ross.


Swamp full of dollars?

The Niger Delta, in Nigeria's southeast, has witnessed conflict over resources for many decades. Nigeria is the biggest oil producer in Africa, and nearly all of that natural wealth is extracted from the Delta. The area is rich in natural resources - but has been blighted by a reckless disregard for the environment and by what local people see as a disregard for their rights.  

One of the many ways in which some have chosen to fight back against the major oil companies - and, indeed, against the government - is by simply helping themselves to the oil. But it’s a very  dangerous, as well as illegal, business. In recent years scores of people have died after explosions around pipelines and tankers as locals gathered to scoop up stolen fuel. And the practice of 'bunkering' - the illegal private refining and transport of oil - has had a marked ecological impact on the land itself.

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