Nigerians storm oil platforms

[CHIMO]

Villagers in Nigeria have stormed and seized three Shell oil platforms in the Niger Delta.

A spokesman for Royal Dutch Shell PLC said the seizures have forced oil production to be shut down at the platforms.

Officials, however, declined to say how much oil had been cut off after the platforms were attacked.

Shell said in statement that members of the Kula community living near Shell's Ekulama 1, Ekulama 2 and Belema oil pumping stations invaded the facilities on Wednesday, accusing the oil company of failing to meet the terms of an agreement to provide them aid.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1600343E-1667-42A1-AD47-9C03A9BBD662.htm

[katinmn]

1. Whoever controls the oil... This is the future

This could have all been prevented if we would have just listened to Jimmy Carter in the 80s.

[farmbo]

2. Stay tuned...Imagine the Nigerians controlling their own natural resources....

Further quotes from the story:

<snip>Despite sitting atop much of Nigeria's oil reserves the inhabitants of the southern oil region remain among the most impoverished in the country.

With little or no influence on the government they frequently turn to oil companies who run joint ventures with the Nigerian state with demands for jobs, schools and electricity.

Over the last decade, villagers have often stormed oil facilities to protest against oil companies they believe are taking wealth from their land and giving little back. Most such seizures have ended peacefully.

This year, armed militia groups who claim to be fighting for similar causes have increased attacks on oil installations and seized foreign oil workers as hostages either for ransom or to back demands for more local control of oil wealth.<snip>

[rman]

4. obviously terrorists, communists and dictators,

the lot of them.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. k

[Vidar]

5. I hope this trend continues.

[Eugene]

6. Reuters: Protesters set to leave Nigerian oil stations

Protesters set to leave Nigerian oil stations
26 Oct 2006 11:30:13 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Austin Ekeinde

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Villagers who stormed four oil
pumping stations in Nigeria were set to leave on Thursday after securing
assurances of more benefits from Western oil companies, authorities said.

The invasion on Wednesday forced Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> and Chevron
<CVX.N> to shut the four facilities, adding about 100,000 barrels per day
(bpd) in lost output to 500,000 bpd already shut by militant attacks
in another part of the Niger Delta.

"We agreed to vacate the facilities on certain conditions. The oil companies
must empower us now to give us the contract to supply them with speed
boats," said Dan Opusingi, a Kula community leader.

He said the protesters were still occupying the flow stations on Thursday
morning, but would vacate as soon as the new contract was signed.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26763363.htm

Protests, kidnappings, and militant attacks now happen
almost weekly in Nigeria.

[Javaman]

7. And yet just a few weeks ago, a report like this would have made

the price of oil sky rocket? Oh what could have changed since then, oh what could have changed???????

Have I said today just how much I loath and detest that scumbag* some people call a pResident?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

8. Brilliant! They cut out the middleman, and negotiated with oil cos

without interference from irrelevant governments. Maybe some Iraqis and others will follow thier example.