[size=14pt]The Economic Benefits the Middle East Crisis Could Bring Nigeria[/size]

With the mushrooming turmoil in the Middle East, just one thing is certain, there will be several years of uncertainty in this volatile region. So, what does it all mean for Nigeria?

First of all, let’s put things in perspective. The Middle East is of exceeding importance to the World energy market. Any instability’s in that region would send shocks across the market, oil is already up two dollars on the Libyan crisis. The real seismic activity will start when Libya, Algeria and Iran are swept away in the burgeoning revolution.

The West has committed a lot of crime and imperialistic blunders, as well as propped up despots in practically every Arab country. Therefore, the West and her interests are viewed as much the enemy as are the despots.
It is common knowledge that the West does not trifle with their energy supply; it keeps dollars rolling, businesses going and people in employment. With certain loss of market and influence on Arab street, the West is bound to look to new avenues, and West Africa is a ripe target. Not only does the region produce the highly sought after low sulphur content, light, sweet crude; it is also a region that is politically malleable and relatively peaceful.

The likely first sign to look out for will be heightened attention given to the attainment of stability in Ivory Coast; a country that has slowly slid down the newsworthy ladder in recent weeks. Another sign would be increased diplomatic outreaches and visits from Western top shots. In Nigeria, the Niger Delta would become an area the West would use as a political sledgehammer against Abuja.

On Nigeria’s part, we would be able to play a hard game with the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), exploration licence renewal as well as balance Western interests with Russian and Chinese interests. The tug of war between the China and the West would be to our advantage as we will be able extract technological know-how by treaty and by cunning.

In all, the Middle East crisis will result in a vastly improved Niger Delta environment and Nigeria would benefit from a stable economy with huge technological possibilities. The West has learned bitter lessons from its political errors in the Middle East. All we need is play it right, but if we get it wrong, we will enter a slavery worse than what the Arabs faced.

- Beaf

In the meantime, there has been a huge massacre overnight in Tripoli. May the souls of the fallen RIP:

Dramatic footage posted on YouTube showed flames pouring from a main police station. Plumes of smoke could be seen from the Hall of the People, a symbol of Gaddafi's power. One witness said: "It's in flames - black smoke is everywhere. There is panic and chaos. Government officials are running away along with the military."

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDozcByEYOE?version=3[/flash]

The main courthouse, a bank and an intelligence agency building were among the blazing buildings. State television and bank buildings were also broken into.

The streets appeared quieter this afternoon but cracks were appearing all over the Gaddafi regime. After a string of defections, military airfields were bombed by air force chiefs, apparently to stop fighters being used against the regime by dissident elements.

"Gaddafi is losing control of the military - he can no longer trust them," claimed a pro-democracy campaigner in Tripoli. "It is the end game for Gaddafi and he is reacting with death and destruction."

Gaddafi's son, Saif, said during a state TV broadcast that his father would fight "until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing and until the last bullet". Libya's envoy to the Arab League, Abdel Moneim al-Honi, declared he was "joining the revolution". The country's ambassador to India, Ali al-Essawi, said he was resigning. Mohamed Bayou, former chief spokesman, criticised threats of violence. Major tribal and religious leaders have also allied themselves with the protesters, leaving Gaddafi reliant on his regular troops and a group of mercenaries who are said to have gone from house to house in one area butchering suspected protesters.

Pressure grew on Britain today over its friendship with the regime since 2004 when Tony Blair brokered a deal exchanging diplomatic and military promises in return for valuable oil and gas deals.

Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Britons to stay away from Libya and said emergency evacuation plans were being considered. Families of British diplomats were being told to fly home. Mr Hague said he did not know where Gaddafi was but had spoken to Saif. "The son is clearly very much in Libya, but I have no evidence as to the whereabouts of Gaddafi himself." Violent clashes carried on all night, with internet blogs and tweets breaching the secrecy of the oil-rich police state. The Hall of the People was said to be burning intensely. A resident said: "The entire building is burning. Firemen are trying to put the fire out but it is growing. The fire service is having to be protected by soldiers. Agitators want to see all symbols of Gaddafi's government destroyed."

There were only sketchy details of the massacre in Green Square, a place where crowds traditionally gather to celebrate Gaddafi's so-called Green Revolution, an eccentric mix of socialism and Islam.

"It happened late on Sunday night," said one witness. "Soon vehicles had turned up full of secret servicemen. They shot from the vehicles - killing anyone they could. There has been a massacre."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23924941-david-cameron-condemns-libya-200-massacred-for-gaddafi-protests.do

You are not lying at all. I just hope we will take advantage of the windfall. I'm not confident about that.

Bloomberg has a similar report out today on the effects of the mid-east crisis with crude topping $103

Nigeria will have herself to blame, if we do not take advantage.

Kilode?!:

You are not lying at all. I just hope we will take advantage of the windfall. I'm not confident about that.

Bloomberg has a similar report out today on the effects of the mid-east crisis with crude topping $103

Nigeria will have herself to blame, if we do not take advantage.

EzeUche_:

Of course Nigeria will not use the money wisely.

Nigerian politicians are probably salivating of all the money they will making, due to the Mideast crisis now that the revolutions are moving towards oil producing Mid-east states.

Then we must begin to press govt right from this moment to put programmes and strategies in place, cos its certain that business will never be the same agin in the Middle East. That region is in for a decade of instability in the least, I predict that Saudi will fall with a bang whithin 5 to 6 years and that events in Libya will lead to industrial levels of terrorism.

I would personally wish to see any windfall going into diversifying our economy away from oil and fixing our fake federal system.

However, the reality in this case is different. The western countries, in their quest for resources will never learn any lesson from history or from current turmoil. After independence, they move and colonise the middle east with their despots colleagues. The next chase game will be moving back to black Africa and tactically force us to open our markets in the name of free market. They have already started inducing us into their debt driven economy by making us sell bond into the so called international market to generate funds that we don't need. The next phase will be further deregulation of the oil industry and more bond issueing and before we know what is going on, we are strafed with modern economic war fought from inside by people like Aganga who understand only "western style" free market economy, and who will be ready to do the bidding of his masters so that he will go back to London and enjoy a good retirement with a pat on back. Unless we have people that care about our future, Nigeria, with Shell moles in all major government department, will just be a conduit for them to continue gubbling our resources while we are fighting over 13% derivation

Beaf:

I would personally wish to see any windfall going into diversifying our economy away from oil and fixing our fake federal system.

That is the dream, right there, visit your Senator and Governor ASAP, I'll visit mine too

Kilode?!:

That is the dream, right there, visit your Senator and Governor ASAP, I'll visit mine too

It is too important to be left to political sharks and should be a grassroots facebook/twitter sort of thing. It should be organised from outside the system by pressure groups similar to SNG (but not led by anyone with an eye on political position).
We need to begin taking full advantage of political providence to raise our stake in the country. There is no time better than now to push different progressive agenda's.

^you are right about political sharks. There are also hundreds of "progressive" groups online and offline across Nigeria, but unfortunately we all seem interested in the presidency, and in fighting for one political party or another.

The real core issues are relegated and the more important offices in the legislature and in local govts are ignored. Everybody wan become their excellency.

Anyway I'm open to progressive ideas that will benefit my people. I'm not certain twitter/FB/campaign will succeed if we don't have a mechanism, system or ideology that can engage grass root home based Nigerians from the start. Our people need to be involved in the fight and understand what they are fighting for.

We need to make our people understand why True Federalism for example is better for them, rather then fighting over which ethnic group in the state should get which position on rotation basis.

It seems you are one of those NL's who lived some considerably number of years within Nigeria. So you have a fair idea of what i'm talking about. You need to see or listen to the stuff that was going on across our states during the last selection/election processes, with a lot of our state laws written in such a way that they mimic the moroonic federal character nonsense we have at the center. States o!

Despite years of ethnic politics, we still fail to see that "our sons" at the center only care about their pockets when they get there.

Our people get cheated every time because they are confusing democracy with tribal/ethnic affiliations, every four years they get caught up in the ethnic-numbers game and lose out when "their Son" gets to Abuja or the State capital and aligns himself with his new tribe: "the honorable big-man" tribe. He get's busy sharing money while neglecting to fight for jobs, industries, roads, water, electricity on their behalf. Of course he'll pay a few school fees and burial costs while acting like a Lord in his village.

We repeat this same sad circle every time. Because we do not understand Democracy, our people don't. My fight is to get Nigerians selfish and self-centered. If we don't, we can't change anything. The American System we've adopted is very individualistic and it works for you when you think about yourself first.

Unless we want to go back to the Village Square System we had before the Oyinbo man came(which is fine by me) we cannot play ethnic politics with this system and succeed. That is my understanding.

I'm willing to work with those who believe we can't continue like this, those who are willing to get our people excited enough to take their future in their own hands.