Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-05-06-Speech-4-058"
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"en.20100506.4.4-058"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would clearly also like to add my condolences to those that have just been expressed to the Nigerian people following the death of their president.
Personally, I find this situation intolerable and I feel that the resolution that we are adopting is unequal to the challenges that an expression of international solidarity by the European Union towards Africa involves.
The Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left will not vote in favour of the proposal for a joint resolution that has been put to us today, and it refuses to be associated with it.
Indeed, we believe that the resolution, contrary to some of the things that I have just heard said, does not really tackle the causes of the recurring violence in that country and addresses them only in part, even though we denounce this violence and in fact demand that its perpetrators be brought to trial.
Nigeria is a great African country, with a rich secular history, and with its 140 million inhabitants it is by far the most highly populated country in the continent. One might even say that it should be a rich country, since oilfields have been discovered there. The value of its GDP puts it in second place in Africa, after South Africa and before Algeria. However, the majority of its population live below the poverty line, and it is the only oil-rich country in the world with a budget deficit.
The most ironic thing of all is that Nigeria imports almost all of the oil products its economy needs because of its inadequate refining capacities. It should be pointed out that its three main refineries are out of action and, worse still, its oil production has decreased considerably in recent years due to the constant attacks on its oil installations.
Why is Nigeria in this situation?
Because this country is a clear example of the seizure of Africa’s resources by some international companies, in this case oil companies, and by one in particular, which exploits 40% of Nigeria’s oil, in complicity with some of our governments.
These companies make and break governments according to their own needs and to the detriment of the needs of the country’s population. The Niger Delta, the flora and fauna of which were once among the most beautiful in the world, has become a veritable dump. This is not just because of oil exploitation, it is also because, each month, 500 containers filled with the most varied toxic waste enter the port and are left in huge open tips.
Nigeria is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The sponsors of the successive juntas have pocketed more than USD 325 billion of the USD 400 billion that oil has brought the country. Where are these dollars? In bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France."@en1
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