It is no longer just the "Niger Delta Avengers" that hold the price of oil in their hands. The Ultimate Warriors of the Niger Delta, a new militant group operating from its namesake river delta, is demanding that the Nigerian government give 60 percent of oil and gas revenues to the people native to the Niger Delta region, according to a Wednesday report by Today.ng.
As OilPrice.com's Zainab Calcuttawala details,
The group presented the order as a condition for a possible ceasefire after attacks it has committed, along with those perpetrated by the Niger Delta Avengers, have caused a 50 percent fall in national oil production.
‘Gen’ Sibiri Taiowoh, the group’s spokesperson, said on Wednesday that attacks on oil facilities would continue until the $16 billion Export Processing Zone and the Federal Maritime University projects that former President Goodluck Jonathan began had been fast-tracked for completion.
The next targets would be Chevron BOP, Okan Platform, MEREN Gas Gathering Compression Platform and the Chevron Tank Farm if the government did not meet the group’s demands within two weeks, according to the statement.
“We are also behind the recent pipeline bombing in the Niger Delta region and I can assure you we will not stop until the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) project and the Maritime University are totally completed and start operations,” the document read. "We would resist any attempt to give surveillance contracts of pipeline in our backyard to foreigners. We want the pipeline jobs to be given to our indigenous people.”
The group, which, like the Niger Delta Avengers, vows not to kill innocents and cause only property damage, also spoke out against what they consider to be the misdistribution of oil profits, as 80 percent of the money has been given to regions in non-oil producing areas.
Since the people of the Niger Delta suffer “the brunt of oil pollution and degradation in the region,” the group insists that residents should receive at least half of the oil profits.
The Niger Delta Avengers rejected an invitation by the government to negotiate a peace agreement this week and proceeded to blow up one of Chevron’s wells.
As we concluded previously, so another group of "young, east-Europe educated idealists", who have a "patriotic agenda" and are intent on achieving an independent state in southeast Nigeria. To do this they will blow up every piece of oil infrastructure in their way.
At least, unlike Hans Gruber, they don't also demand the release of their ideological "revolutionary brothers and sisters" rotting away in some imperialist prison.
Meanwhile, the price of oil will remain high and keep rising as long as the NDA's campaign continues oddly unopposed.
What is odd is how unexpectedly these groups of African "freedom fighters" emerged, and created a website no less just as oil hit a 13 year low. One almost wonders if there was not certain western financial and military backing behind said group of "freedom fighters", perhaps backing that has an interest in the price of oil going higher, and thus any sunk costs to fund and arm the NDA would be promptly recovered once oil jumped… as it has in the past week as a result of none other than Goldman highlighting Nigeria's oil supply problems and making it the basis for their "bullish" (if only in the shorter-term) oil call.
Of course, that would never happen: after all, when in the history of the US has the country, either directly through the government or indirectly through the private sector, armed and funded offshore "rebel" groups to achieve specific national interest goals…
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