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Article: Nigeria's slippery politics.(Oil industry)
- Article from:
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- Article date:
- January 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HOW CLOSE IS NIGERIA, A COUNTRY of 137 million, to civil war? And what, if anything, can the United States do to prevent chaos in this poor but oil-rich nation?
Having lived in Nigeria from 1964 to 1967, when the Biafra region seceded and civil war erupted, I remember vividly the welter of rumors, arrests, back-corridor deals, and local and ethnic skirmishes that escalated into massacres, coups, and finally, secession. Although most Nigerians today would find another Biafra unthinkable, volatile conflict persists, with oil the new accelerant.
At first glance, however, Nigerian oil and the government that oversees its exploitation would seem to be in good ...