by photographer Sophia Evans 2003 FiftyCrows PhotoFund Winner - Europe Region
Dirty Oil Business is an investigative study of the corruption and exploitation that Nigeria suffers at the hands of multi-national oil companies and their government allies. Oil exploration in the Niger Delta has rendered it an environmental wasteland of toxic vapors and soot, all in close proximity to human habitation. Acid rain and oil spills have desecrated the land and its wildlife. But the injurious effects of the industry do not escape the socio-political. Due to the neo-colonial, corporate partnership between the military/civilian governments and oil companies, Nigerian citizens are stripped of sustainable forms of economic development, facing dangerous living conditions and impossible capitalist forces.
Western public relations campaigns portray the presense of oil industries in the Third World as one of redeeming and positive effect. Through her photographs, Evans strives to debunk this myth and advocate the autonomy and safety of Nigerian citizens.
Will The French Indict Cheney? The Nation, December 29, 2003
Yet another sordid chapter in the murky annals of Halliburton might well lead to the indictment of Dick Cheney by a French court on charges of bribery, money-laundering and misuse of corporate assets.
Nigeria Accused Of Rights Abuses BBC News, December 17, 2003
A leading US human rights group has accused Nigerian security forces of killings and other abuses in the oil-rich southern Delta region.
Foreign Hostages Freed In Nigeria BBC News, December 1, 2003
All five remaining foreign oil workers taken hostage in Nigeria's Warri region last week have been released unharmed.
Nigeria’s New War on Corruption BBC News, November 7, 2003
The Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged oil firms to open up their accounts to scrutiny as part of a new anti-corruption drive.
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