Our Future
The militants of the Niger Delta are fighting because the people of the Delta region are not reaping the benefits of the natural resources in their area. While I do not condone their methods of operation, there is no doubt that they have been pushed to the wall and all other forms of negotiations under succesive Governments have yeilded little or no results.
The people of Ogoni have for the past ten years, locked in billions of barrels of Crude Oil and are non the worse for it. As a matter of fact, with no more oil pollution of their rivers and farmlands and with no more pollution from gas flares and acrid smoke, they may just be better of.
So long as the people of the Niger Delta do not feel the effects of their oil wealth, they probably will continue to fight to shut down oil production facilities and strive to drive away the percieved exploiters and polluters. There are little or no passable roads in the Niger Delta. No electricity or pipe born water in most of the commuities outside of Portharcourt or Warri and Education in this areas is at an apologetical level. Health care is non existent.
How does all this affect us as Helicopter Pilots? If nothing is done now
by all tiers of Government and the Oil companies, oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger Delta may soon grind to a screeching halt (except maybe for deep water production). If it could happen in Ogoni land, it can happen in the rest of the Niger Delta. The future for the helicopter Pilot in the Niger Delta may be more bleek than many of us realise. Many of our Jobs may be at risk here.