Ghana is preparing to embark on oil exploration and it looks like they have learned some lessons from their neighbours in Nigeria and Gabon on the need to have a PLAN

Ghana has taken a bold initiative towards a systematic establishment of economic, technical and legal framework to manage its oil extraction, whilst maximizing its benefits to improve living standards. To this effect, the government has assigned a team of experts in the oil industry to develop a master plan for the petroleum sector.

The team of experts has been subdivided into six working groups and each is supposed to produce a policy document which would become part of the master plan to guide the development and management of Ghana’s emerging oil industry and how it interfaces with the rest of the economy.

Having a PLAN may help avoid situations like this “MEND 30 day ultimatum ………..

THE Defence Council (DC) of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), yesterday, issued a 30-day ultimatum to both Bayelsa and Rivers State Governments to constitute the Boards of the Bayelsa and Rivers States Oil and Gas Commissions for the host communities or face the wrath of the militant group.

Tags:
Niger Delta
Nigeria
Ghana + Oil

There’s a tune by Midival Punditz, Bhranga Fever, which always reminds me of Lagos, a city of both grids and swerves. It’s loud, fast, uplifting but tiring, contradictory, polarised and expensive! Expensive in Lagos is scary, especially when you consider that the majority of people exist on less than $2 a day and yet it is more expensive than LA, Stockholm or Barcelona.

Evidence of vast amounts of money floating around the “islands” - two small pieces of land poking into the Atlantic that anchor the city’s economic activity and are home to banks, foreign consulates and oil and telecommunications companies - is everywhere. Dinner for two at an average restaurant costs more than $200. A cocktail costs more than $15. A box of cereal costs $12 at a supermarket. Hotel rooms under $400 are difficult to find.

In the aisles of glistening new malls, expatriates and wealthy Nigerians browse for - and often buy - $10,000 watches and $5,000 cellphones. New BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes and Bentleys plod along through grinding traffic, bumping over rocks and weaving around potholes. Continue………..

Nigeria
Lagos

Gordon Brown recently offered to help the Nigerian government “fight rebels in the oil-producing Niger Delta“. Niger Deltans and other progressive thinking Nigerians reject any form of military assistance by the British government to Nigeria to be used in the Niger Delta or any part of the country. Please sign the petition calling for the British government to review it’s policy on the Niger Delta.

“We call on Prime Minister Brown to urgently reappraise the reality that is the Niger Delta, vis-à-vis his comprehensive foreign and domestic policies, with a view to positively impacting the search for justice and peace in that region, even as we all work together towards securing the world’s energy resources. After this very necessary and urgent review, Britain should announce her intentions, concerning the Niger Delta, unequivocally and definitely” Continued.…..

Tags:
Nigeria
Niger Delta

Following on from my post on Nigeria that never got further than a jumble of thoughts flushing around in my head just when I would be trying to sleep - take a deep breath…. I found a blog via “Nigeria, What’s New” called “Looking for good in Lagos“.

It is fascinating to discover new things about your country through a stranger’s eyes. It is called learning, stupid. Uncomplicated and simple weblog but it is in the doing, today, that can move you to tears. Excellent effort from a true hero and social historian. And who is the stranger?

The blogger is now on her 127th good things about Lagos. I got quite excited thinking I would find a whole bunch of great happenings in Lagos that I obviously missed while I was there. And yes I did and here are some:

“Colourful head wraps” Well yes I think these are wonderful too and people should have fun as much as possible.

“Easy driving on Third Mainland Bridge” . The bridge is a place of grave danger from thieves, area boys and other drivers AND…..”that is a big reason why the company wants us to travel with armed guards when we travel this route”.. damn I did wonder who were these people with their sirens blasting kicking us plebs out of the way as they weave recklessly through the traffic causing mad men and women to give chase at high speed at the risk to everyone’s life. This kinda of reminded me of driving around Miami and remembering (so I was told) to never pull alongside another vehicle at a STOP sign or traffic light, just in case there was a armed crazy sitting in the next car ready to blow your head off! The perception of danger is generally far worse than the reality.

Just one other point - MEND is not “a home grown terrorist organisation” - well what do I expect from an “oil-executive family”?

and

“I don’t have to wait in line for petrol” cause my driver does it whilst I am at Bible class. Well thats just wonderful but surely you should be asking and thinking about why Lagosians are queuing for petrol in the first place?

OK it’s a great idea this “Looking for Good” and I might just take it up whilst walking and busing around London and anywhere else I happen to be.

I liked the piece by Nigerian Curiosity in which he

scour the web and find Nigerians who are having discussions or expressing their opinions about Nigerian and global events. I recently happened upon the blog of a young Nigerian called Naija Pikin. His post was titled - Are We Cursed?

As Nigerians know this is not a new question, in fact it has probably been asked a million times or 100 million (number of possible over 14s in Nigeria) over the years and still no one has been able to come up with an adequate answer - “yes it is cursed” ok but what is being done about it, doesn’t anyone have an antidote? or “no, it is not cursed” I dont believe in curses so this is my option but then if it’s not cursed, what the hell is wrong with the place / people? Curiosity and Pikin try to deal with this for example Pikin writes…

I am tempted to want to give in to the school of thought that strongly believes that a demonic cabal is happy holding us down

Curiosity puts the blame on Nigerians themsleves

The only demons that hold sway over Nigeria, are Nigerians themselves. No one to blame but us. We have had the best opportunities to create a nation that should be a leading example for every human being, but we have failed.

I think it is both - what could possibly be a worse than a mixture of citizens who put self-interest first and leaders who are a demonic cabal?

Tags:
Nigeria

A couple of years ago - maybe a year I cant remember - I read a blog post by Keguro on things he thought of / wanted to blog about but didn’t. Thinking about blogging on something and not doing it is a sure sign of blogger paralysis / disinterest / being blogged out or on the verge of a blogging breakdown. I’m not sure which one applies but I suspect it is all three. So here are some of the things I thought of blogging about but never quite moved from thought to opening up my wordpress “write new post”!

Reflections on Nigeria - actually I was a bit economical with the truth here as I did start writing down stuff but it was all so negative and depressing I thought I cant possibly post this. On Tuesday I was down in Canterbury at the Anglican Church Synod gathering where I spoke with a Nigerian gay man who is seeking asylum here in the UK. I felt even more miserable as he recounted his life in Lagos and Nigeria generally. Shaking with anger and bitterness on surviving there and being in the closet and surviving here, being out but still living on the periphery, being ripped off by his landlord the awful waiting to see if you will be given asylum or deported. In Lagos I met a lesbian who was deported a year ago after spending a year in Yarlswood. According to Harriet Harman it is safe for lesbians to be returned to their home countries such as Nigeria because all they need to do is be “discreet” and hide themsleves. Totally ignoring the reality as in the case of this woman whose family and friends found out about her sexuality, disowned her and left her to fend for herself on the streets. Fortunately one friend took her in for a while until she had to move to another city and try to manage her life somehow. Harman also ignores the fact that no one should have to deny themselves and go through the pain of living a lie? On the other hand when the government sees an opportunity to front their illusion of humanitarianism - then LGBTI persons, rape and torture survivors, political dissidents from across the globe - get handed asylum on a plate in 2/3weeks.

The other day I decided to indulge myself my watching a blockbuster movie. I thought it sad and disturbing that I felt watching a “Hollywood” movie was an indulgence. Will self-flagellation be the final step on the road to the denial of pleasure in my life? Anyway I followed the hype and went to see “The Dark Knight” with Batman looking and sounding a bit like Darth Vadar. The film plays with the theme of good and evil which is presented in both simple comic book terms and also much more subtly as “evil” surfaces in unexpected places including Batman himself. The late Heath Ledger is superb in his performance as the demonic wild hilariously funny Joker and master of chaos. At one point he dresses up as a nurse, flicking his hair and licking his lips whilst blowing up a hospital and jumping on himself as the last detonator goes off. Afterwards I felt the director, Christopher Nolan, was playing with my mind with this scene of “comic terrorism” - should I be laughing? Well yes because the world of Gotham like the real world - is full of liars, corrupt police and government hypocrites (Batman included).

The only real person is the Joker - “I am what you see” he wears the mask but it is the other characters who are “masked”. Still it was a relief to see that humanity redeems itself and fails him (the Joker) dismally. Race comes briefly into play when it is the huge Black prisoner who stands up to pick up a detonator set by Joker as a trick for the two groups to blow each other up. A bit obvious that the stereotype Black murderer (bad citizen) was not actually going to do anything and rather it was the white middle class male (good citizen) that nearly blows the “other” to smithereens.

Joker plays everyone, from criminals to the police to Batman who, apart from looking and sounding like Darth Vadar was clinical with no depth to his character. His transformation from good to a man with evil tendencies was hardly recognisable but for a few prompts from the narrative. Rachel was a mediocre femme fatal and it was hard to feel any sympathy for her or her lover who “turned” from the all American white boy hero into a “two-faced” cold hearted rather boring revengeful killer. But they all seemed so peripheral to the Joker whose lines often held the kind of home truths some of us would rather not hear. My favorite was his reference to it’s ok to kill hundreds and thousands but everyone freaks out when one person like the mayor is under threat “cause it’s not part of the plan”! The Joker doesn’t “plan” he just lives and there is something inviting about not planning and not being part of the plan.

Tags:
Nigeria
LGBTI
The Dark Knight