Chaos in the Niger Delta Although I write reports almost every day on what has been happening here in Nigeria, I am always afraid of making very detailed descriptions and still be unable to express the reality and complexity of the problem. Today, however, I do need to be more thoroughly detailed so you can feel – or at least catch a glimpse of – what has been going on here.
Unemployment in the region is alarming. No statistics are shown, but everywhere I go I see people in despair for a coin so they can buy at least a roll. Heavily armed police officers on the roads make any trip twice as longer by stopping travelers and finding ways to get bribery. I was astonished to see, the other day, two cops extremely glad after getting a 200 Nairas (around 1.60 dollar) pay-off. Don’t think that is worth much here – a bunch of bananas costs 250 Nairas. Last Tuesday, on my way to the James 1:27 Orphanage, I saw a dead man left on the street side, his body entirely burned. The odor of burned flesh made me nauseated. Later I saw four young men – maybe the man’s killers – laughing as they buried the corpse seven feet away from the curb in that empty lot.