The Other Oil Crisis
Monday Jul 07 2008
“The act or process of supplying a ship with fuel” is the common definition of bunkering. In Nigeria this term has come to mean the siphoning of oil from any source at any scale. Being one of the wealthiest and most populous countries in Africa, Nigeria has been appearing more and more often in the news because of the continued challenges it faces in the midst of its oil prosperity.
The situation in the Niger Delta is a three-fold issue. On one side is the Nigerian public. On the other are the government and military, and finally there are the oil companies and their respective countries. The problems begin with environmental pollution—spillage due to constant vandalism and unsound management of the pipelines. This leads to, among other things, pervasive and extremely hazardous oil spills. The problem is compounded by the current system of oil revenue distribution, or rather the complete lack thereof. All this is fed by a historical precedent of government corruption and theft at all levels.
Designed and illustrated by Sascha Mombartz, this issue is in brilliant orange and printed with white and a rich, black metallic ink. Hands representing the government and oil thieves are shown drilling into a barrel of wealth, namely Nigeria. A large straw, a play on one of this year’s most popular lines about drinking milkshakes, stands in for the States’ presence in this situation. Some food for thought, from Sascha himself: “For the United States, Nigeria is of special interest: its wealth of oil, proximity and agreeable past relations with the U.S. make it an alternative to the Far and Middle East.”
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