Who is stealing Nigeria’s oil?

Oil was discovered in Nigeria in the Niger delta in 1956 and it’s now Nigeria’s main source of export. Nigeria is world’s 15th largest oil producer just a little behind a country like Norway which is number 13. At the same time Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Esther Egele-Godswill & Marie Barse

Illustration © Esther Egele-Godswill

Illegal refining of oil create toxic smoke that envelops the communities in the Niger Delta.

In this episode we discuss why this extremely valuable resource has not made Nigeria a wealthy country.

We talk about oil pollution and oil theft in the Niger delta. We hear more about how oil theft constitutes a local economy in some of the impoverished communities in the Niger delta. And how some of those communities feel that by steeling and refining oil they finally get a share in a resource that was theirs all along. According to Nigerian authorities, oil theft cost the country as much as 3,3 billion dollars in 2022 alone.

Who is stealing Nigeria’s oil? Podcast from DIIS

The stolen oil is refined in home build refineries and sold via local distributors. Some of it ends up at the Nigerian market and some at the world market.

This podcast was made in connection with the conference Natural Resource Management and Conflict in Africa, organized by the Danish Institute for International Studies and the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana. The conference was supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the DANIDA Fellowship Centre.