LONDON, July 21 -- The UK will help Nigeria with security training in the Niger Delta where militants have attacked oil pipelines and platforms, shutting in almost a quarter of the nation's oil production.
Consequently, Angola has surpassed Nigeria as Africa's top oil exporter. Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua told delegates at a Chatham House meeting in London that he wanted the UK's help to lead a United Nations campaign in declaring stolen oil as "blood oil" to prevent it from being traded on stock markets or sold to refineries. International efforts are required, he said, to eliminate the practice which spurs conflict in the Delta.
President Yar'Adua has held talks with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss the impact problems with oil production have had on the global economy. "We have asked the British government to set up a maritime security training center to train Nigerian security personnel and other nations in the Gulf of Guinea," Yar'Adua said.
About 1.5 million b/d of oil are lost through smuggling and corruption, Brown said. Critics argue that oil bunkering is possible in Nigeria because of corruption in the government, Nigeria's state-owned oil company, international oil companies, and the military.
"Kidnapping workers and stealing oil is a crime and no one is paying criminals off," Yar'Adua said.
Campaign group Women of Africa described Britain's actions as "declaring 'war' on defenseless women and children of Nigeria's Niger Delta. Military assistance by Brown in 2008 to the Nigerian unelected dictatorship "would compound the problem and endanger the entire Western region of Africa," the group said.
The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has pledged that "UK citizens and interests in Nigeria will suffer the consequences" if Brown proceeds with supporting the Nigerian government. It has ended its 2-week ceasefire following the announcement.
The Nigerian government has published its 15-year Delta master plan to economically develop the area and reduce poverty, and Yar'Adua said it would like technical expertise and training from the UK to implement it.
Brown said he welcomed Nigeria's commitment to the rule of law and anti corruption initiatives.
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