Nigeria: Civil War Looms As Federal Troops Invade Niger Delta

A Niger Delta militant in full battle gear.

Fears of another internecine civil war loom large in Nigeria 42 years after the last civil war that claimed over one million lives and left over 20 million people as refugees. Over 1, 000 people have been killed and over 20, 000 others displaced when the ruthless troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces invaded the Niger Delta of Nigeria last week.

The Niger Delta region has been under siege as federal troops and militants engaged in bloody war over illegal oil bunkering and resource control of the oil rich south-south states of Nigeria.


The Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Nigerian Armed Forces declared total war on the rebel forces of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and launched a land, sea and air operation on Gbaramatu Kingdom and other villages in the creeks of the Delta State after the militant rebels killed 10 military officers at Camp 5 in Oporoza. Several villages have been bombed and razed in the siege, but the guerrillas of MEND have been able to repel the 7000 troops, gunboats and jet bombers of the JTF.

Militants have been kidnapping oil workers and destroying oil installations of the multinational oil companies and reducing the production of crude oil by a quarter in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and eighth largest oil producer in the world. The Niger Delta militants called freedom fighters want more control of their oil and gas and better life for the oil communities devastated by decades of both legal and illegal oil exploration.

As the federal troops continued the bombardment of rebel camps and villages in the creeks, leading human rights groups have sent peace delegations to Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain and other world leaders to persuade the Federal Government of Nigeria to end the siege to reduce the growing humanitarian crisis in the Niger Delta.


~ Orikinla Osinachi, reporting from Nigeria.

Previous News Reports:

Michael Chima

1. Nigeria: Umaru Yar' Adua, PDP and The Presidential Election

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:27. I actually thought that the so called "Mr. Integrity" Umaru Yar' Adua would be honest ... www.huliq.com/19100/nigeria-umaru-yar-adua-pdp-and-the-presidential-election

2. Richard Gere apologizes for kissing

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Fri, 2007-04-27 14:18. Duplicate post removed by the poster. Login or register to post comments ... www.huliq.com/19952/gere-apologizes-for-kissing

3. Oscars 79th Academy Awards Announces Presenters

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Sun, 2007-02-25 20:52. I have watched the highlights of the preparations and the nominees and I have seen that ... www.huliq.com/12461/oscars-79th-academy-awards-announces-presenters

4. Iran Denies Nuclear Ambitions As UN Security Council Mulls More ...

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Sun, 2007-02-25 18:22. Iran cannot deny her nuclear ambitions. Because, Iran wants to be a Nuclear Power to balance the ... www.huliq.com/12498/iran-denies-nuclear-ambitions-as-un-security-council-mulls-more-sanctions

5. Russia's Richest Woman Wins Lawuit Against 'Forbes'

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Thu, 2007-03-22 08:53. $4000 is just petty cash for lunch to the richest woman in Russia. One God, one faith. ... www.huliq.com/15925/russias-richest-woman-wins-lawuit-against-forbes

6. Bono Joins Many Other Celebs in American Idol Gives Back!

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Thu, 2007-04-26 00:59. I have been a fan of U2 and Bono has been their arrowhead since the 1980s to date. ... www.huliq.com/19760/bono-joins-many-other-celebs-in-american-idol-gives-back

7. Gay men have higher prevalence of eating disorders

   Submitted by MichaelChima on Mon, 2007-04-16 13:35. Gay men have high rates of eating disorders, because of depression. ... www.huliq.com/18538/gay-men-have-higher-prevalence-of-eating-disorders

8. Nigeria: Anarchy Looms After Yar'Adua Wins Bloody Elections

   ... Nigeria · PDP · presidential elections · Taliban insurgents · Umaru Yar'Adua · MichaelChima's picture. Posted April 24th, 2007 by MichaelChima ... www.huliq.com/19456/nigeria-anarchy-looms-after-yar-adua-wins-bloody-elections

9. Lightning Source Takes Up "Scarlet Tears Of London"

   ... Rutgers University Press and other leading book publishers in America and Europe. MichaelChima's picture. Posted March 13th, 2007 by MichaelChima ... www.huliq.com/14716/lightning-source-takes-up-scarlet-tears-of-london

10. Nigerian Writer Dedicates New Novel To Dr. Mo Ibrahim

    MichaelChima's picture. Posted September 10th, 2007 by MichaelChima. Similar News Stories. Nigeria: Two More Nigerian Soldiers Killed in Darfur, ... www.huliq.com/33706/nigeria-nigerian-writer-dedicates-new-novel-to-dr-mo-ibrahim

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$20 Billion of Oil and Gas Deals Currently on the Market

28 May 2009 16:00 Africa/Lagos


$20 Billion of Oil and Gas Deals Currently on the Market

Derrick Petroleum Services Completes Special M&A Study

HOUSTON, May 28/PRNewswire/ -- Derrick Petroleum Services ("Derrick") has completed a comprehensive study of the Top 1000 global oil and gas companies and identified in excess of $20 billion of oil and gas assets currently for sale worldwide, consisting of 69 separately announced transactions. The study focuses on deals with an estimated value greater than $10 million.

North America leads the inventory with over $9 billion (or roughly 45% of value); followed by Africa (22%) with the North Sea, Rest of Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and Middle East rounding out the pack with deals valued at between $500 million to $1.5 billion.

In North America, the most prized deal is the multi-billion dollar interest Devon Energy is offering in its four discoveries (Kaskida, Cascade, Jack and St. Malo) in the emerging Lower tertiary trend in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Onshore resource style plays (shale gas and oilsands) remain quite active. Notably, Shell and EnCana are looking for a partner to develop 30,000 acres of exploration leases in the Haynesville shale gas play of north Louisiana and east Texas. In Canada, UTS Energy rejected the revised $677 million cash bid by Total E&P Canada in April as inadequate and continues working with its financial advisors, RBC Capital and TD Securities, to maximize shareholder value. UTS Energy has 1.7 billion barrels of net contingent bitumen resources in the Athabasca Oil Sands area of Alberta.

Internationally, Africa is exciting with numerous deals. In Ghana, two partners have put interests on the market in the world class offshore Jubilee field (estimated 1.2 billion barrels equivalent of gross recoverable reserves). Other deals are available in Uganda, Angola, Kenya, Egypt, Cote D'Ivoire, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and Namibia. In other parts of the world, significant deals in play include development projects in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which now has an improving political and security environment. In Indonesia, BP is seeking to harvest its 46% interest in the prolific Offshore North West Java block, which includes 670 producing wells, 170 platforms and 1,600 km of subsea pipelines. Chevron has retained Scotia Waterous to sell its interest in 13 separate concessions in the Austral and Nequen basins of Argentina which were producing nearly 4,500 b/d of gross oil and 54 MMcf/d of gross gas in late 2008. In Australia, Woodside Petroleum has put its Otway project, offshore Victoria, on the market.

"Due primarily to the whipsaw in oil and gas prices over the past 12 months, our analysis highlights an unusually high quality and diverse set of world class opportunities, particularly for well-heeled buyers seeking long term assets in early stage development," according to Yashodeep Deodhar, CEO of Derrick Petroleum Services. "These are not distressed assets put on the market by distressed companies. Quite the contrary, we have identified numerous opportunities by first class operators who are simply managing their forward risk profiles and laying off a portion of development capital. We foresee the recent trend of national oil companies (NOCs) and government backed oil companies dominating the buy side to continue."

In completing the study, Derrick also reviewed past M&A activity and trends. "In contrast to the first half of 2008 where seven of the top ten buyers were western companies; so far this year, only three of ten buyers are western. Buyers of significant deals have recently been mostly NOCs and government-backed companies such as IPIC (Abu Dhabi), CNPC (China), KNOC (Korea) and Ecopetrol (Colombia)," according to Deodhar.

"In addition to tracking deal activity, value trends regionally and globally, and deals in play, we also continuously monitor companies with financial dry powder and a desire to do more deals. Currently, notables on this list include Norway's StatoilHydro, Colombia's Ecopetrol, China's Sinopec, France's Total, United States' Apache Corporation and Canada's Talisman Energy. These companies alone have over $20 billion of capability," concludes Deodhar.

Derrick Petroleum Services is an independent oil and gas research and consulting firm. Its team of twenty analysts maintains Upstream Oil and Gas activity databases for a global client base. The Company's databases have worldwide coverage, with special emphasis on emerging plays and international transactions. The Company maintains sales offices in Houston and London.

For more information:

Additional information regarding Derrick Petroleum Services and its products is available on the Company's website at http://www.derrickpetroleum.com.

For further details of the study, kindly email info@derrickpetroleum.com.


Per:
Yashodeep Deodhar
CEO
Derrick Petroleum Services
info@derrickpetroleum.com


Source: Derrick Petroleum Services

Per: Yashodeep Deodhar, CEO, Derrick Petroleum Services, info@derrickpetroleum.com; Media Contact: Brian Lidsky, Vice President - North American Sales, Tel: +1-832-715-3539

27 May 2009
11:00	Bristow Acquires 42.5% of Lider, Brazil's Largest Helicopter Services Company
26 May 2009
13:00	TED Conferences Announces 25 TED Fellows for TEDGlobal in Oxford
22 May 2009
15:31	New Initiative Poised To Reduce Maternal Mortality Rates By More Than 25 Percent
13:58	China Dominates the Global Aluminium Industry
12:00	Bristow Group Announces Preferred Dividend

Why the DHL is Better than the UPS and other Courier Services in Nigeria

Why the DHL is Better than the UPS and other Courier Services in Nigeria

I have been using the DHL and other local and international courier services in Nigeria for over twenty years and from experience the DHL has proved to be the best.
The DHL delivers on schedule without hitches and the customer service is first class in their customer relations. The DHL has very efficient and proficient staff and the receptionists are disciplined and polite.



The UPS has not been as efficient and proficient as the DHL in Nigeria. The reception at the UPS head office in Lagos lacks good customer relations. When I did not receive any notification of the delivery of the package I paid to be sent to the United States, I called the UPS desk clerk who collected it from me, but she has not responded till date and of course I have been disappointed and I am giving the UPS two thumbs down for poor customer relations.

The management of your customers will determine their response to your service.
If you fail to impress your customers, they will be turned off and go to other places where they would be well treated, efficiently and politely.

I cannot recommend the local courier service companies, because my company has lost very important packages we paid them to deliver and they could not give any good account of the whereabouts for over seven months. Most of them are not trustworthy.

IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes

20 May 2009 10:38 Africa/Lagos

IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes

CANNES, France, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IndieFlix CEO Scilla Andreen launched today an international tour to introduce new distribution models for independent films, highlighting her company's premium packaging of Andrew Robinson's "April Showers," based on the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.


For the film, IndieFlix has identified a core audience segment of 30 million U.S. moviegoers and is providing them not only with the most number of ways to view it, but also with the tools to use the movie as a platform for social change.


The campaign is one of a series of release stages, carefully sequenced to build audience influence.


Rather than compete headlong against Hollywood studio films in the entertainment section of major newspapers, "April Showers" made its debut instead as part of a national conversation on the future of learning in America. In that context, Robinson's story as a survivor of the Columbine shootings was covered by the broadcast and print media as a national news item even before its initial theatrical release. As a result, Robinson quickly became a sought-after commentator and discussion leader.


Meanwhile, IndieFlix mounted a comprehensive online distribution campaign hot on the heels of the theatrical engagements. Working with a network of the biggest names in online delivery, IndieFlix was able to offer "April Showers" directly to moviegoers across all platforms.


However, the distributor's real focus was on coordinating this stage of the release with a range of social networking strategies. This effort brought in the highest-quality feedback from the most influential audience segments. At this point, it became obvious that "April Showers" had connected with an audience ready to champion the film in settings where it would have the greatest impact, namely, in schools and with community groups.


To create a package that would redefine educational distribution, IndieFlix teamed up with the April Showers Foundation, created by Robinson and the film's producers, and with School Safety Partners, a Denver organization with deep ties with school administrators and educational funding sources. Together, they reached out to national and international experts in student development and school safety, and were greeted with an outpouring of social change and capacity-building resources that could be added to the school edition of "April Showers."


This multiplied the distribution possibilities. IndieFlix is now able to offer greater value to organizational buyers of the film, who typically pay a premium license fee. In addition, the package has generated cause marketing opportunities for corporate sponsors, and discussions are underway to provide a sponsored distribution of the "April Showers" educational edition to every school in the United States.


As Andreen oversees a state-by-state educational rollout, she expects that this stage of distribution will lead not only to broader DVD and Blu-ray distribution, but also to broadcast airings of the film that are treated as must-see television events.


Her worldwide tour to discuss new distribution models to the independent film and video community includes visits to dozens of film festivals and appearances at financing conferences. Filmmakers interested in learning more are encouraged to visit IndieFlix.com, which currently represents more than 2,000 titles.


Source: IndieFlix

CONTACT: John Simmons, +1-303-548-3816,
johnsimmons@schoolsafetypartners.org, for IndieFlix

Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
20 May 2009
10:38
IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes
19 May 2009
18:24
Morgan Creek Productions Hosts Annual VIP Brunch at Moulin de Mougins During the 62nd Festival de Cannes

Top Proxy Voting Advisors Recommend Teamsters' Country Selection Criteria Proposal at Chevron

18 May 2009 21:24 Africa/Lagos

Top Proxy Voting Advisors Recommend Teamsters' Country Selection Criteria Proposal at Chevron

RiskMetrics Group, PROXY Governance Support Transparency on Chevron's Country Risks Assessments

WASHINGTON, May 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recent reports, two leading independent proxy advisory firms -- RiskMetrics Group and PROXY Governance, Inc. -- recommended shareholders vote for the Teamsters' shareholder proposal calling on Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX) to disclose the criteria under which it starts and ends investments in high-risk countries such as Burma. The proposal, listed as item No. 8 on the proxy card, goes to a vote at Chevron's May 27, 2009 annual meeting of shareholders.


"We're very pleased that both RiskMetrics Group and PROXY Governance, Inc. are supporting our call for Chevron to be transparent about the standards it uses to assess high-risk countries for potential or continued investment," said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer C. Thomas Keegel. "Chevron's decisions related to Burma -- whose ruling military regime is notorious for brutal human rights violations -- expose the company to staggering risks and raise questions about the adequacy of Chevron's current country selection criteria."


Chevron, in partnership with Total of France, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, and Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, holds equity in the largest investment project in Burma: the Yadana gas-field and pipeline, which is reportedly the single largest source of income for the Burmese military regime.


Through its stake in the Yadana project, Chevron has exposed the company to extraordinary legal and financial risks arising from litigation for human rights abuses, the risk of expropriation or impairment of assets by the Burmese military regime, and substantial reputation and political risks that could affect Chevron's bottom line. Chevron also does business in other high-risk countries, including Angola, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria.


Chevron's current country selection criteria are opaque, and investors lack the information they need to evaluate Chevron's in-country risk oversight procedures and make informed choices regarding Chevron's governance.


Co-filers joining the Teamsters' demand for disclosure include the AFL-CIO, Ms. Adelaide Gomer, The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Mercy Investment Program, Newground Social Investment, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk.


Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.


Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters

CONTACT: Galen Munroe of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
+1-202-624-6904, gmunroe@teamster.org


Web Site: http://www.teamster.org/

Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
18 May 2009
22:36
People Who Know Foreigners or Travel More Likely to See Themselves as Global Citizens: Global Survey
21:24
Top Proxy Voting Advisors Recommend Teamsters' Country Selection Criteria Proposal at Chevron

She is Not the Only One in Nigeria

She Came in the Stormy Weather.

It was a stormy morning in Lagos as the fuel scarcity worsened and going about your business of survival was now more hectic in these interesting times in Nigeria.
Then she walked into my office as the stormy wind blew in the looming torrential rain.
She told me she was depressed and broke down in tears.
I put my right arm around her shoulders and gave her my white handkerchief to wipe her tears away and I also used my fingers to wipe her teardrops before they trickled to her rosy cheeks. Then she unburdened her heart and soul to me.
She was in dire need of money and work.
She was tired of waking up every day and having no job. She wished she could be like many of her mates who are gainfully employed.
“I feel useless,” she lamented.
“You are not useless. You can never be useless,” I said as I comforted her.
We spoke at length and she was soon relieved as she could now smile and even shared jokes with me about romance on Facebook.
“Guys are even picking up girls on Facebook,” she said.
She mentioned one of my pals who picked up two Nigerian babes on Facebook and laid them within a month.
Wow! So they could come so cheap and stupid on Facebook. But I quickly dropped the subject and focused on her overcoming the blues of her depression and unemployment.
Well, she is not the only girl or woman who is feeling depressed these days.
These are not the best of times for single girls and women who are jobless in Nigeria.
The meltdown of the Nigerian capital market made many banks and other companies to lose billions of naira and they are no longer employing more applicants as they would have loved to and in fact some leading banks may retrench their workers soon.
Many people lost millions of naira and they took loans to invest in the capital market and are desperate to find money to pay back the loans.
Many guys are presently in financial mess and they cannot provide for their babes again. There is no romance without finance. The reality sucks.
So many of the affected babes are depressed if they are not employed to provide for themselves.
“I don’t want to rely on any man for my needs. I want to work,” she said.
Many girls and women use their wits to play many guys to provide for their needs, but the consequences could be destructive in the end. So, I was glad she asked for assistance in getting a good job.

Did You See Lars von Trier's 'Antichrist'?

I do not know if the accredited Nigerian journalists at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival were at the screening of Lars von Trier's 'Antichrist' that is already competing for this year's Palme d'Or, because none of them has even mentioned it to me, while the film is currently the buzz of the moment at Cannes.
Of course it an art film and it generated the mixed reactions the director expected.

Is The PDP A Political Party Or A Political Cult?

Is The PDP A Political Party Or A Political Cult?

Is the People's Democratic Party (PDP) a political party or a political cult?

If you ask the founders like Chief Alex Ekwueme, a former vice president of Nigeria (1979–83), and Jerry Gana, they would not be surprised that I asked the above question.

Occultism is common practice among the leading politicians in this party, I also regard as the most corrupt political party in Africa.

Ask their elected public office holders how they got elected.

Audio Bibles Reaching Oral Cultures

15 May 2009 12:04 Africa/Lagos



Audio Bibles Reaching Oral Cultures

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Faith Comes By Hearing, the world's foremost Audio Bible ministry, recently released Audio Bibles in eight more languages.

-- French (Parole de Vie) -- Canada
-- Romane Vlax -- Chile
-- Kikongo -- Democratic Republic of the Congo
-- Kiswahili, Congo -- Democratic Republic of the Congo
-- Kituba -- Democratic Republic of the Congo
-- Mumuye -- Nigeria
-- Konkani -- India

-- Madurese -- Indonesia


These new Audio Bibles represent more than 32 million people on five continents.

Research shows that half of the world's people can't read. So, of the people who speak these languages, that means about 16 million are completely cut off from the written Word.

Audio Bibles for Oral Cultures

"Most of the world's people live in oral cultures," said Morgan Jackson, Faith Comes By Hearing's international director. "They learn about their history and transmit their values through songs, chants, stories and drama."

"But when they listen to the Bible, oral people don't separate themselves from the stories. As they listen they are drawn in and find themselves, in their minds, walking alongside Jesus."

"When the Kabiye people of Togo heard the Word of God in their language for the first time, their reaction was 'God speaks our language. We don't need a translator to talk to God. God can address us directly.' And, for so many around the world, they've been told and taught that God doesn't understand their prayers," Jackson said.

Faith Comes By Hearing is working with other Bible-related ministries to bring the Word of God to every nation, tribe and tongue.

With each month, Faith Comes By Hearing comes closer to their goal of recording the New Testament in 2,000 languages by the year 2016. When accomplished, the Audio Bibles in those languages will reach more than 90% of the world's speakers.

Faith Comes By Hearing now has 432 Audio Scripture recordings available in 366 languages. Nearly 400 of these Audio Bibles are available for free download at www.FaithComesByHearing.com.

Source: Faith Comes By Hearing

CONTACT: Jon Wilke of Faith Comes By Hearing, +1-505-881-3321,
jon@faithcomesbyhearing.com

Web Site: http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/

Re: Nigeria Surpasses Hollywood As World's Second Largest Film Producer – UN

5 May 2009 – The Nigerian film industry has overtaken Hollywood and closed the gap on India, the global leader in the number of movies produced each year, according to a new United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report released today.

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) survey, Bollywood – as the Mumbai-based film industry is known – produced 1,091 feature-length films in 2006. In comparison, Nigeria’s moviemakers, commonly known as Nollywood, came out with 872 productions – all in video format – while the United States produced 485 major films

.

~ UN News Centre

The fact that Nigeria is the largest producer of home video movies in the world is not the issue, but to tackle the problem of the poor quality of the productions.

If Nigerians want to celebrate a UNESCO Report on being the second largest producer of feature-length movies in the world, they can do so, but they must not celebrate the mediocrity of their Nollywood, lest they continue to be the laughing stock of the Hollywood and Bollywood.

It is ridiculous for Nigeria to boast of making over 1,000 movies annually, but not a single one has even qualified for screening at the Cannes Film Festival and most of them cannot make the box office in America!
How many Nollywood movies have been shown in cinemas?
What we should be proud of, is quality and not quantity.

You must improve and perfect your craft and art, no matter the format of the media.
Quality has no substitute.