Oil rigs Years of government neglect and unemployment in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region have given rise to a widespread industry of illegally refining stolen oil. It is estimated that about 10% of Nigeria’s daily oil production is lost to illegal activities. That’s 200,000 barrels, worth about US$21 million per day at US$107 per barrel. The Nigerian Natural Resources Charter estimated in 2019 that crude oil theft represented an economic loss of at least N995.2 billion or US$2.8 billion annually. Communities in the Niger Delta have long agitated against the degradation of their environment caused by multinational oil companies. After years of insurgency, the government introduced amnesty programmes for militants who chose to surrender. But those who were not rehabilitated, and other unemployed youths, resorted to illegal refinery activities to make a living. The illegal refinery process involves heating crude oil in metal containers to make petroleum products. It ignores […]