Giant_and_Dwarf-FIN

Giant and DwarfFor 33 years, until 1999, the country was ruled by generals as a military dictatorship:a return to formal democracy was not the result of a democratic revolution, but as a resultof international pressure after the Cold War ended. After the mysterious death of the lastNigerian military ruler general Sani Abacha in the company of six exotic Indian prostitutesat his villa in Abuja 52 a window of opportunity for free elections and the transition todemocracy opened up in 1998. Ironically, the winner of the first free election in 1999 afterdecades of military regimes was one of the previous military dictators of Nigeria, generalObasanjo, who earned his stars as a military commander of one of the last attacks againstindependent Biafra.Unfortunately formal democracy did not bring the desired peace and prosperity toNigeria and has not led to a reduction in the ubiquitous and widespread corruption orstopped religious and ethnic conflicts. Although it may seem that the military regime wasable to suppress at least some of these problems and keep them under wraps, many bloodyunrests took place in the Niger Delta—the economic center of the country—during the firstdecade of the 21 st century. From there oil billions flow to the national capital and from therepart of the money continues to flow to all states of Nigeria. Many groups of militant youngmen emerged in the Niger Delta, whose only—risky but lucrative—work was to ignite andblow up oil pipelines and other oil installations and to abduct oil workers for ransom. 53International oil companies operating in the region responded to these attacks by policingand fortifying their facilities and entire towns 54 where foreign and domestic managersand technical experts live, and also by bribing chiefs and members of local communities52 It is estimated that Sani Abacha has stolen about five billion dollars directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria,transferred them to his many foreign accounts and the money were after his death inherited by hisfamily. The Nigerian government was later able to recover only a portion of these funds, the rest of themenjoy Abacha descendants and relatives. More on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sani_Abacha#Recovery_of_stolen_funds53 Chronology of recorded attacks on the oil facilities and kidnappings of workers in the Niger Delta inthe years 2006–2008 can be found at http://www.africamasterweb.com/AdSense/NigerianMilitants07Chronology.html.54 Security in the Niger Delta has become such a serious problem that the project on which I worked there,started with about a two-year delay. For about two years after the initial working visit, which resultedin the decision by the local partners in the State Rivers to try to build a community foundation in thearea, the World Bank security authorities did not autorize any WB employee to travel to the area. Whenwe finally got the green light to go again to Port Harcourt, American colleagues were transported onarmored cars, managed by their own security staff. The rest of the team—that is non-American—hadto stay in a well guarded hotel and were allowed to leave only when accompanied by policemen armedwith machine guns and at least one police car. To be white in Port Harcourt is as calling „come andkidnap me!“ but wave of kidnappings for ransom became a serious threat also for wealthy Nigerians.One of our local partners, distinguished professor of medicine, experienced assault and kidnapping rightin his house. Another local partner, employee of one of the oil companies, invited me to visit the localfamous “Shell compound”, thus I was able to see on my own eyes the small world of managers andtechnicians, of course only after getting through checks at several lines of security fences with barbedwire and concrete gateways. Welcome to the world of oil and social gaps!70