We have crude oil but we are still poor

[Kuti4life]

The painful thing is that this money is actually paid to the host communities through their rules and council of chiefs who refuse to distribute this money paid to them by the companies... It's not the fault of the company that the benefits don't get to the members of that community... In all we can do better as Nigerians to help ourselves out of this humiliation...

[boyptc]

The painful thing is that this money is actually paid to the host communities through their rules and council of chiefs who refuse to distribute this money paid to them by the companies... It's not the fault of the company that the benefits don't get to the members of that community... In all we can do better as Nigerians to help ourselves out of this humiliation...

It's the same scheme, corrupt leaders, corrupt councils, corrupt politicians and everyone who's on the top of these deals.

The money only goes to their pockets and none or few of their communities and people are getting what they're paid for.

If these companies that benefits from your community are guaranteeing grants, they should also be part of the deal of nation building. But it seems that they don't care at all with that.

[Chilwell]

The painful thing is that this money is actually paid to the host communities through their rules and council of chiefs who refuse to distribute this money paid to them by the companies... It's not the fault of the company that the benefits don't get to the members of that community... In all we can do better as Nigerians to help ourselves out of this humiliation...

Anytime I sat down I'm beginning to think about the money that are going to that region, I feel so bad if you can be able to see how they are living, honestly the government has done so well for those people and they are paying them so much so that they will not feel abandon but there leaders are the one living a luxurious life and forgotten about this people without providing them with good water to drink. If you can look at it they are the one complaining but their leaders are just keeping quiet which I am not from that region but I feel so bad for them.

If your opportunity to go to that communities honestly you will not believe it that this is where Nigeria is getting almost 60% of their money from while that people are living in extremely poverty, when I get to know them very well that is when I decided not to blame them when they were agitating for a lot of things that need to be done for them.

[MorganaX]

Bad government is the cause of those challenges people are facing in the country op, but is not only Nigeria that is facing the hardship in the world despite they have resources that will make the youths to enjoy the sacrifices they have made for the betterment of the country, for Nigeria to eliminate poverty from their country, I think good leaders need to be taking some political position to be able to challenge those corrupt leaders to be able to remove them from power because as long there are bad leaders in the position it will be difficult for the country to eliminate poverty, and it will make their economic not to grow like other develop countries of the world.

I think removing power houses from their influences in grass root economy of a country is harder than you think, if you are put yourselves in the same advantage as those power houses, I would be sure you would go to war to protect and preserve that wealth. If you know the sum of money this guys makes from production of crude and other valuable resources per day, your concept on this will change. But on a righteous path, I agree with your post

[DrBeer]

We as Nigerians we have crude oil but our country is still poor and going backward on a daily. And the question is, is it suppose to be so as an oil producing country, states, LGA's and communities?

When you travel and log in to our local communities in the villages as SPDC Shell host communities that has now been taking over by Renaissance, you see that there's nothing to write home about.

The local content agreement has it that they will bring development to the Shell host communities, things like,
1. Electricity.
2. Good roads.
3. Scholarships.
4. Borehole's water.
5. Youths empowerments.
6. Employment in their companies.
7. Monthly stipends for old men/women
etc

But none of these is being carried out.

Can I ask a simple question? Oil is a national resource. By law, to whom do the nation's resources belong? I looked into it and here's what I found out! The Constitution of Nigeria: According to Article 44 (paragraph 3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, all ownership and control over any minerals, mineral oils (oil), and natural gas within the country's territory, underground, in its territorial waters, and in its exclusive economic zone belong to the Federal Government.
The answer to your question: your government manages the oil revenues. It is the government you need to ask-where does this money go....

[Justbillywitt]

This problem is not only peculiar to Nigeria. I think this is a continental problem. Check all the countries that have minerals of various kinds in Africa, they are not developing. But when you look at other countries outside the continents that have same minerals as African countries, they are developed. Now I asked myself, is this a deliberate plan to keep the continent perpetually poor and underdeveloped? You ask again, why do these people don’t want Africa to develop? So don’t be surprised if your regions are not developed even with the oil. People at the upper echelons made it to be so deliberately.

[Italian Panic]

This problem is not only peculiar to Nigeria. I think this is a continental problem. Check all the countries that have minerals of various kinds in Africa, they are not developing. But when you look at other countries outside the continents that have same minerals as African countries, they are developed. Now I asked myself, is this a deliberate plan to keep the continent perpetually poor and underdeveloped? You ask again, why do these people don’t want Africa to develop? So don’t be surprised if your regions are not developed even with the oil. People at the upper echelons made it to be so deliberately.

As I’ve said many times, in my view it all starts with the politicians. In Africa, there are many countries with dictatorships and politicians who keep the proceeds from the extraction of raw materials for themselves and their inner circle. In fact, the Congo and Nigeria ought to be the richest countries in the world, yet the United Arab Emirates, with far fewer resources, have managed to become ultramodern nations. Why is this? Because once the sheikhs had become wealthy, they also thought of the people.

[ejikeme24]

You know a country that has natural resources like crude oil is not even meant to be poor, well as for the Case of Nigeria I think our brothers, uncles, sister's are the ones that is making things difficult for us. Majority of this people that is involved in the decision making are only concern about the well being of their families, they don't care about the well-being of other citizens. You know left with the companies alone I'm sure they would have been paying the citizens even though they are doing nothing and they will also create job opportunities for them. not that they are not doing it now of course they are doing it but we tend to give it to those that is dearest to us even when we know that they are doing absolutely well yet they will just give it to them just so that they don't give it to other people without knowing that those people needs help.

[Bright0515]

Bad government is the cause of those challenges people are facing in the country op, but is not only Nigeria that is facing the hardship in the world despite they have resources that will make the youths to enjoy the sacrifices they have made for the betterment of the country, for Nigeria to eliminate poverty from their country, I think good leaders need to be taking some political position to be able to challenge those corrupt leaders to be able to remove them from power because as long there are bad leaders in the position it will be difficult for the country to eliminate poverty, and it will make their economic not to grow like other develop countries of the world.

Who are the good and bad leaders? I take them all to be the same because In Nigeria it only takes a matter of time for someone that's good becomes bad, that has been the system. What exactly do we call corruption in Nigeria? This is something that people adjust to when it favors them.