By Dayo Sobowale
On Sep 24, 2022
NIGERIA
The use of oil as a weapon of war by Russia against Europe in retaliation for economic sanctions against it for invading Ukraine often reminds me of the Arab oil embargo against the US and Europe , for supporting Israel especially after the 1973 Yom Kippur war in which the Egyptian Army initially had the upper hand before its army was surrounded in the Sinai desert by the Israeli army and the Arabs lost the war. Ever since that time Western Europe and the US had been looking for alternative sources of energy outside oil or fossil oil such that they would never endure the hardship and humiliation that the economic consequences of the oil embargo of the seventies inflicted direly on their economies . Global warming was therefore an obvious excuse for saying that oil and its products and bye products were the bad reason for climate change and those who see the emergence of climate mate as a political issue on this score were branded as climate denials .The fact however remains that geography is changing as it has always done . Yet most of the developed nations still think and are acting as if man through elimination of fossil fuel or energy can prevent climatic changes and calamities . I see that as a gargantuan fallacy for the simple reason that man has not been able yet , to fashion out an instrument and technology that can contain and control nature and that is the solid truth , at least for now , in this civilization we are living in .
Today I want to use geopolitics to illustrate my point of views on the subject of the day . I also want to show the obvious connection between climatology , the production of fossil fuel and the subsequent impact of that on man’s economic race for survival and comfort which has led unwittingly to the emergence and usage of two words namely ‘ developed’ and ‘developing ‘ nations . Let me initially make some common or broad geopolitical observations on the nature of economic development , its nature and locations as well as the development and origins of religions and politics along these lines .
First , it is a fact that most of the oil in this world is located in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia , the largest oil producers and leader of OPEC is located in the Middle East and is the leading Muslim nation for Sunni Muslims . While another oil rich nation Iran leader of the world Shia Muslims is also one of the leading oil producers in the world . On the other hand during colonization and slavery western nations like France , Britain and Holland conquered colonial lands like Nigeria holding the bible in one hand and the gun in the other . At the divestiture of the now buried Queen Elizabeth 11 when the globe in her custody , one of the crown jewels since coronation, was retrieved at the altar it was revealed that she was given this as monarch to spread the word of Christ around the world which had been the goal of the defunct British Empire she once ruled over as the Commonwealth for 70 years . In Nigeria it is a hard fact of life that the North is largely arid and mostly in the Sahel and largely Muslim but Nigeria’s oil is mostly in the Niger Delta creeks mostly underdeveloped while oil money is being used to develop the North mostly at the expense of the oil locations where oil exploration has led to massive pollution and ecological disasters . It is also a grim fact of life that Fulani herdsmen are Muslims looking for water to feed their cattle not only in Nigeria but the whole of the North of ECOWAS states and that has led to anxiety of a looming jihad against coastal capitals that are the commercial heartthrob of W Africa like Lagos ,and Accra .
It is necessary to acknowledge these plain facts and home truths to be able to see the use of oil as weapon by the Arabs led by Saudi Arabia in the seventies and now by Russia in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine .It also explains why in pursuing the elimination of fossil fuel the west shot itself in the leg when it did not have an available and ready source of energy other than fossil fuel .The UAE special envoy for climate change Sultan Al Jaber has warned that policies aimed at divesting from hydrocarbons and fossil fuel without alternatives are not only self defeating . He concluded that ‘they will undermine energy security , erode economic stability and leave less income available to invest in the energy transition ‘ Luckily Nigeria seem to be heeding this warning as we are not in any mad rush to embark on any climate change gymnastics because we will just strangle our oil based mono economy The EU nations and the US are feeling the effect of playing god with the climate especially with the Russian oil embargo against the west although they are keeping a straight face about it .
In Nigeria however the preparation for the 2023 presidential election has been overheated with the adoption of a Muslim Muslim ticket by the APC . Yet Nigeria’s problems as highlighted before are starring us in the face ,and it is suchproblems that we should ask presidential candidates of any party seeking the presidency to address instead of asking Nigerians to show hostility towards the Muslim Muslim ticket .This is because we are a nation largely composed of both Christians and Muslims . The two religions however did not happen in a vacuum . The colonial masters came to Christianise and evangelise us as the return of the Queens orb has revealed but that is impossible under King Charles 111 because Britain is now a multicultural society with Muslims , and Hindus . Even in Nigeria where they succeeded to evangelise heavily they succeeded mainly in the south and sparsely in the North . This was because they fell in love with the Northern Emirs love of horses and their grand durbar horse riding parades and forgot to tell them about the bible .Instead they taught them how to ignore geography and climate in Nigeria which made the North sparsely populated and to govern by claiming a false narrative in giving the North higher census figures than the South . Thus giving them political power in spite of geography and warning them that they would lose power and authority if true census ever took place . If you look at the huge number of horses at the Queen’s funeral in the UK recently you will understand what I am talking about with regard to the emergence of the political structure and culture that Britain bequeathed Nigeria colonially , simply because of horses! . Laughable perhaps , but geographically , climatically not to talk of history , quite correct .
Anyway , the truth is that in Nigeria both Christian and Muslim religious leaders are in the race to convert each other adherents .Evangelisation and the jihad have similar goals . In the past when there was violence we had crusades and jihads fought out in the holy lands of the Middle East which now has the largest deposits of oil being exploited by western technology owned by Christian nations . The Sokoto Caliphate had its way too in the N and NW and Northern Emirs are Fulanis while their subjects are Hausas .Either way since independence Nigerians have cohabited tremendously successfully in spite of religion . There was a time when the Nigerian soccer team the Red Devils and later Green Eagles was largely made up of Ibos , who are Christians and nobody raised an eyebrow . Now that we are about to have a president and his vise from one religion , is the time to show that even though our faith matters , it cannot and should not divide us . All we need is a level playing ground for keen political competition and may the better team that will govern Nigeria justly and wisely , prevail . Amen .
The use of oil as a weapon of war by Russia against Europe in retaliation for economic sanctions against it for invading Ukraine often reminds me of the Arab oil embargo against the US and Europe , for supporting Israel especially after the 1973 Yom Kippur war in which the Egyptian Army initially had the upper hand before its army was surrounded in the Sinai desert by the Israeli army and the Arabs lost the war. Ever since that time Western Europe and the US had been looking for alternative sources of energy outside oil or fossil oil such that they would never endure the hardship and humiliation that the economic consequences of the oil embargo of the seventies inflicted direly on their economies . Global warming was therefore an obvious excuse for saying that oil and its products and bye products were the bad reason for climate change and those who see the emergence of climate mate as a political issue on this score were branded as climate denials .The fact however remains that geography is changing as it has always done . Yet most of the developed nations still think and are acting as if man through elimination of fossil fuel or energy can prevent climatic changes and calamities . I see that as a gargantuan fallacy for the simple reason that man has not been able yet , to fashion out an instrument and technology that can contain and control nature and that is the solid truth , at least for now , in this civilization we are living in .
Today I want to use geopolitics to illustrate my point of views on the subject of the day . I also want to show the obvious connection between climatology , the production of fossil fuel and the subsequent impact of that on man’s economic race for survival and comfort which has led unwittingly to the emergence and usage of two words namely ‘ developed’ and ‘developing ‘ nations . Let me initially make some common or broad geopolitical observations on the nature of economic development , its nature and locations as well as the development and origins of religions and politics along these lines .
First , it is a fact that most of the oil in this world is located in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia , the largest oil producers and leader of OPEC is located in the Middle East and is the leading Muslim nation for Sunni Muslims . While another oil rich nation Iran leader of the world Shia Muslims is also one of the leading oil producers in the world . On the other hand during colonization and slavery western nations like France , Britain and Holland conquered colonial lands like Nigeria holding the bible in one hand and the gun in the other . At the divestiture of the now buried Queen Elizabeth 11 when the globe in her custody , one of the crown jewels since coronation, was retrieved at the altar it was revealed that she was given this as monarch to spread the word of Christ around the world which had been the goal of the defunct British Empire she once ruled over as the Commonwealth for 70 years . In Nigeria it is a hard fact of life that the North is largely arid and mostly in the Sahel and largely Muslim but Nigeria’s oil is mostly in the Niger Delta creeks mostly underdeveloped while oil money is being used to develop the North mostly at the expense of the oil locations where oil exploration has led to massive pollution and ecological disasters . It is also a grim fact of life that Fulani herdsmen are Muslims looking for water to feed their cattle not only in Nigeria but the whole of the North of ECOWAS states and that has led to anxiety of a looming jihad against coastal capitals that are the commercial heartthrob of W Africa like Lagos ,and Accra .
It is necessary to acknowledge these plain facts and home truths to be able to see the use of oil as weapon by the Arabs led by Saudi Arabia in the seventies and now by Russia in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine .It also explains why in pursuing the elimination of fossil fuel the west shot itself in the leg when it did not have an available and ready source of energy other than fossil fuel .The UAE special envoy for climate change Sultan Al Jaber has warned that policies aimed at divesting from hydrocarbons and fossil fuel without alternatives are not only self defeating . He concluded that ‘they will undermine energy security , erode economic stability and leave less income available to invest in the energy transition ‘ Luckily Nigeria seem to be heeding this warning as we are not in any mad rush to embark on any climate change gymnastics because we will just strangle our oil based mono economy The EU nations and the US are feeling the effect of playing god with the climate especially with the Russian oil embargo against the west although they are keeping a straight face about it .
In Nigeria however the preparation for the 2023 presidential election has been overheated with the adoption of a Muslim Muslim ticket by the APC . Yet Nigeria’s problems as highlighted before are starring us in the face ,and it is suchproblems that we should ask presidential candidates of any party seeking the presidency to address instead of asking Nigerians to show hostility towards the Muslim Muslim ticket .This is because we are a nation largely composed of both Christians and Muslims . The two religions however did not happen in a vacuum . The colonial masters came to Christianise and evangelise us as the return of the Queens orb has revealed but that is impossible under King Charles 111 because Britain is now a multicultural society with Muslims , and Hindus . Even in Nigeria where they succeeded to evangelise heavily they succeeded mainly in the south and sparsely in the North . This was because they fell in love with the Northern Emirs love of horses and their grand durbar horse riding parades and forgot to tell them about the bible .Instead they taught them how to ignore geography and climate in Nigeria which made the North sparsely populated and to govern by claiming a false narrative in giving the North higher census figures than the South . Thus giving them political power in spite of geography and warning them that they would lose power and authority if true census ever took place . If you look at the huge number of horses at the Queen’s funeral in the UK recently you will understand what I am talking about with regard to the emergence of the political structure and culture that Britain bequeathed Nigeria colonially , simply because of horses! . Laughable perhaps , but geographically , climatically not to talk of history , quite correct .
Anyway , the truth is that in Nigeria both Christian and Muslim religious leaders are in the race to convert each other adherents .Evangelisation and the jihad have similar goals . In the past when there was violence we had crusades and jihads fought out in the holy lands of the Middle East which now has the largest deposits of oil being exploited by western technology owned by Christian nations . The Sokoto Caliphate had its way too in the N and NW and Northern Emirs are Fulanis while their subjects are Hausas .Either way since independence Nigerians have cohabited tremendously successfully in spite of religion . There was a time when the Nigerian soccer team the Red Devils and later Green Eagles was largely made up of Ibos , who are Christians and nobody raised an eyebrow . Now that we are about to have a president and his vise from one religion , is the time to show that even though our faith matters , it cannot and should not divide us . All we need is a level playing ground for keen political competition and may the better team that will govern Nigeria justly and wisely , prevail . Amen .
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