₦airaland Forum

[img]http://www.irinnews.org.nyud.net:8090/images/2005111512.JPG[/img]
BENIN CITY, 15 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - Issuing a landmark ruling that opens the way for compensation claims against oil conglomerates, a court in Nigeria has declared the flaring of natural gas illegal.

Justice C. V. Nwokorie, of the high court of Benin City, ruled on Monday that toxic flares that burn off natural gases, a by-product of oil extraction, contravened provisions of the Nigerian constitution guaranteeing citizens the right to life and human dignity.

He was ruling in a case brought against oil giant Royal Dutch Shell by the Iwerekan community of the Niger Delta.

Shell, which controls nearly half of the country’s oil production capacity, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), immediately issued notice of an appeal. They have one month to challenge the ruling.

If it stands, it could open the way for residents of the oil-rich Niger Delta to sue the oil companies, Chima Williams one of the lawyers representing the local community that brought the case to court, told IRIN.

“Under Nigerian law, the parties who suffer from the violation of a law can seek damages or compensation,” Williams said.

The giant flares that pump clouds of black toxic smoke into the skies of the Niger Delta contribute more greenhouse gas emissions than any other single source in sub-Saharan Africa, according to environmentalists Friends of the Earth.

The Iwerekan community in Delta State was supported in its case by Environmental Rights Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, and the Climate Justice Programme.

Delta residents say the flares, which have been burning since oil production began in the 1950s, have seriously harmed the environment.

Domestic animals and wildlife are disoriented by the constant flares as they are unable to tell the difference between day and night, while crop yields have been damaged by consequent acid rain, they say.

But even if the appeal against the ruling is thrown out, gas flaring cannot be stopped without billions of dollars and several years worth of further investment.

Nine years ago, the government set a 12-year target to end gas flaring and most oil companies have said they are on track to meet the 2008 deadline - bar the largest producer, Shell.

Don Boham, spokesman for Shell, said the company and its Nigerian partners have invested US $2 billion in the last five years in projects aimed at putting the flared gas into economic use. A further expenditure of US $1.85 billion will enable Shell to end all gas flaring in its operations by 2009, a year later than the government target, he said.

Boham blamed the Nigerian government for the delay as it had failed to meet its funding obligations in the joint venture with Shell.

“The original target date… was predicated on the joint venture programme being fully funded to deliver the required gas-gathering projects. This was not achieved,” said Boham.

For the first 40 years of oil production in Nigeria, all natural gas occurring in the course of oil production was simply burned away because oil companies were discouraged by the huge investments required to harness the gas.

While revenues estimated at over US $2.5 billion yearly were lost through flaring, this also became a major source of conflict with oil communities that complained of being cheated out of the oil wealth produced on their land while being left simultaneously to suffer the environmental consequences.

In the past decade, investments have been made to utilise the wasted gas, which is reputed to be a cleaner energy source than crude oil.

In September, work began on the West Africa Gas Pipeline which will transport Nigerian natural gas from the oil fields of the Niger Delta along the coast to Ghana, via Benin and Togo, promising cheaper and more reliable power for millions of residents by the end of 2006.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50112

Amen. Nice story, Nferyn. Pain of childbirth, aww!

Please accept my apology. It's just that I am less of a shy person today and it has little to do with the process you've described. I guess this shows that there is more than one way to skin a cat!

I think it's ok to be "demanding" to an extent. But when the girl is demanding only material things, beware! An attitude that says "don't worry about spending time with me, just send me the money and I'll be just fine" then it means she sees you as a bank. Sorry o!

Biola, your pictures up therfe are really lovely!
Um, by the way, what is your sister's phone number?

Welcome to Nairaland, Feeding!

Nice one, rihanna. How about this one:
"I love you, but I love her more - she has bigger assets"
"I am mature enough to settle down - so I need a virgin. Since I disvirgined you several years ago, you do not qualify. bye-bye!"

How are they lacking in equity? Please explain! Do you mean in terms of the money they have?

Your phones are nice, IAH. The pictures are ok; not to large in my opinion. Wel done

smiley: as a kid were there not times when you just wanted to be naugthy

My answer is 'no'. Children just want to have fun. If you ignore then and they think that by doing something naughty they will get a little bit of your attention, they will do it. If you keep them occupied with constructive activities which they can use to catch their fun, they won't have time to be "naughty". Children are very easy to understand if you're a listener.

my neighbours 7 year old put the family cat in the tiolet, poured ariel, shut the toilet seat cover and flushed. His explanation - he wanted to give the cat a bath!!! now how angelic is that. yeah, i can hear u, he didnt no any better

First of all, the life of a cat cannot be as valuable as the relationship I have with my child. If I have to sacrifice seven cats to make my son a well-adjusted individual, I will do it without feeling sorry for the cats. Afterall, if the cat doesn't die in a toilet the Calabar people in your area will catch it one day and use it in pepper-soup.

Here is how I'll deal with this situation, assuming I am being rational:
Me: Son, why did you flush the cat in the toiley.
Son: I wanted to give the cat a bath.
Me: That's not the way to give an animal a bath - in fact, cats don't bath because they don't like water. See, the cat is dying . You should have asked me first!
Son: (already crying, because he's an angel) Daddy I'm sorry.
Me: Ok, go and apologize to your mom and let's go and bury the cat.
<after burial>
Me: Son, I hope you've learnt a lesson today: it's good to be careful when you want to do something new. Ask questions from elders or those who have more experience so you don't make big mistakes that will make everyone unhappy. Your mother and I have agreed that for the next week you'll do so-and-so chore in order to pay us back for the dead cat.

Case closed. The life of a cat has been lost, but my son has learnt an important lesson about mistakes, apologies,and restitution. It's a sacrifice I am willing to accept. There's no use getting excited over minor disasters like this. Use the situation to strengthen the bond in your family - that's my belief.

Remember the rule that says, "don't attribute to malice what can easily be explained by stupidity". Do you really think the boy wanted to kill the cat? Lighten up!

Why do you have to lump all the good qualities in a man together with bad qualities in a man and call it "bad boy". What if I am wicked smart but not a player? What if I'm caring but not a cassanova? What if I'm rich but not a show-off? What if I'm strong enough to be a social icon but not inclined to push my girl around for the sake of showing how strong I am?

Must we all turn bad in order to compensate for your desire to suffer in the name of love?

When someone gives you advice, always ask:
1) Do you have experience in this matter?
2) If not, did you get this idea from someone who has experience in the matter?
3) If not, why don't you just keep quiet?

Ijebuman, I don't think you're qualified to make such sweeping statements. I wonder if you also believe that: (a) Leopards can become lions by erasing their spots and growing manes. (b) Pigs can fly once they decide to grow wings!

It happened a long time ago, really.

Goldfish, are you male or female? How old are you and what attracted you to Nairaland?

Ondogi: Of course, if he listens to people like you, he will always regret it. People who think that youth is all about jumping from one bosom to another instead of settling down. Either he stops associating with people like you, or he goes for a divorce with no assurance of finding one later on. I think the option of choosing friends wisely is more prudent.

Yes, people are here but they don't know the answer to your question, and that's why you're yet to receive an answer.

Did I mention that many teachers are poorly paid and a little bit sadistic? Not to mention that, unlike parents, they are not expected to show any special concern or love to students who might need such.

It's hard for me to understand why a woman would undergo the pains of childbirth only to give up the child to strangers. If you can outsource the training of your child, why not go all the way and outsource the painful process of childbirth? My point is that I don't like the idea at all!

Whether she wins or not will depend on whether we vote for her. They are not going to "give it to us", but we are going to give it to her!

Bill Gates aka William Henry Gates III
Born: 28-Oct-1955
Birthplace: Seattle, WA
Gender: Male
Religion: Atheist
Ethnicity: White
http://www.nndb.com/people/435/000022369/

Asked whether there was anything special, perhaps even divine, about the human soul, he replied: "I don't have any evidence on that."

Asked if he goes to church, he replied that his wife is Catholic and she goes, but, for himself: "Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning."

http://www.sikhspectrum.com/102002/ron.htm

bride price is ritual acknowledgement of the parents role in the upbringing of their daughter.

Well, it's an unwise idea. A young couple starting out their marriage needs as much money as possible to smoothen their relationship, because shortage of money causes a lot of marriage problems. It is very unwise to rob them of a substantial portion of this money in the name of "tirual acknowledgement".

The yoruba tradition of the bridegroom protrating to the parents of the bride and saying "thank you" is acknowledgement enough. if indeed the 'bride price' is acknowledgement of the parents' investment in bringing up the bride, why does the bride not have to pay a "groom price" for the man. Are you saying parents of the groom haven't invested in their child?

African United is more interesting than Shakara. You should have presented it first.

Hmm .. the issue with your dad. I think you need to initiate the conversation. Being mean will only make him care less about you. initiate the conversation and let him know exactly what youw ant from him. We men can be clueless about the needs of women; it s more of incompetence than malice. Good luck!

Joftech, I still don't understand your point. The sumary of your post seems to be, "we must make our politicians utilize these God-given potentials". What God-given potentials are you talking about exactly?

It would be a honour to have more modeling pics, so we can promote her to people in other countries. Most Nigerians will not be able to vote, so we need to show pictures to those in the voting countries to make them support our queen.

Please https://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/63.gif, and thanks. I know you want her to win.

Amen!

You can't expect them to cal the two sports by the same name. So if you say that they should rename soccer to fotball, then what should their own football be called? Wrestling-ball?

My advice would normally be to forget the boyfriend that doesn't love you, and look for another one.

However, your story might be unique, so why don't you tell us your story and maybe we'll be able to help?

And how exactly will she get an accurate and up-to-date version of the map of Nigeria with reproduction rights?

Why don't you try the bloodless version?

You and the girl should go for separate for prayer and fasting if it makes you feel better!

Otherwise, this is a non-issue. The girl has left you and the blood covenant is not going to bring her back. If she can leave you despite her belief in the eficacy of the blood covenant, then she must really dislike you right now!

Perhaps you took her for granted because you thought the blood covenant will make her stay with you? Perhaps you tried to use the blood covenant to threaten her to stay with you? Such behaviours can cause love to disappear!

In that case, can we have more of her pictures so we can evaluate her properly?