GRINERIA

Chapter 1 The Broad and Easy Way The Deception Point was when we hit Oil and thought we had hit Gold. The Defining Moment is when we see the Nigerian People as the only Lasting Natural Resource – Gbenga Richmond, Pathfinder, GRiNERIA The Holy Bible says, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12) – KJV. Just think back. Was Nigeria always like this? Even if, like me, you weren’t born when things were going so good for Nigeria, at least we have history to rely on. Do you know that the popular, 24-storey, “Cocoa House” in the ancient city of Ibadan was once the tallest building in tropical Africa? In fact it was referred to as “Ile Awon Agbe,” which translates as, the “House of Farmers.” Needless to say, that building was built solely with ‘farm money.’ If the Cocoa House of Ibadan takes you back memory lane, then the groundnut pyramids of Kano will surely give you nostalgia. The ancient city of Kano was once known as the commercial nerve centre of the north. A typical groundnut pyramid was a superstructure or skyscraper, built with bags of groundnut, and not cement? Back then, there was dignity in labor. The pyramids provided food in abundance plus income for the northerners. It also served as a tourist site as well as a source of shared heritage among northerners.10 And then there’s oil. Not crude oil this time, but oil palm (or palm oil if that sounds better.) Even though we may not be able to tie oil palm to any one state or city, let’s just say that oil palm production is more prevalent in the eastern states than anywhere else in Nigeria. Now, do you know that Nigeria was once the world’s largest producer of oil palm? If you knew that already, then you must know also that Malaysia, the current world leader in oil palm production actually ‘borrowed a leaf’ or should I say, came cap-in-hand to obtain oil palm seeds/seedlings in the 70s from Nigeria. You may ask - so what happened to the groundnut pyramids, cocoa plantations and the oil palms? Well, folks, crude oil (or black gold) happened! The moment we discovered crude oil, we became too lazy (or let’s just say too) sophisticated for farming. And that was our greatest undoing – the deception point. I have been doing some research lately on oil producing countries, and so far, my findings are that many oil producing countries are plagued by what I call the three goliaths. Namely: Corruption, poverty, and terrorism - in that order. Isn’t it amazing that, citizens of an oil state that’s supposed to enjoy the dividends of oil wallow in abject poverty? Well, here is a theory I propounded when I put the spotlight on Nigeria as an oil producing country: When a people of a country or state discover crude oil, they soon discover also that there’s easy money to be made. Eventually, they do away with their existing source of livelihood, and embrace the potential good fortunes of oil. A select few among them, who are greedy, ambitious, and powerful, soon come together and corner every proceeds from crude oil all to themselves. That way, the first goliath, corruption is born. Next, the masses (which are more or less those not privileged to be members of the oil cabal) begin to experience hardship. Unfortunately, they don’t get to share in the dividends of oil, and they have also fallen in love with the promise of easy money, through crude oil, so much that there former sources of livelihood are no longer attractive to them. By the time they realize they are starving in the midst of plenty, and decide to go back to farming for instance, they discover much to their shock that crude oil spillage has rendered their farm lands useless and their waters uninhabitable for sea foods. That way, between the devil and the deep blue sea, poverty is born. Finally, the masses, unable to bear the abject poverty caused by these oil cabals, conclude that the only option left for them is – fight back or die. So they fight with all their power and might and in the process, the nation or state gets thrown into a state of chaos and unrest - then there’s a reign of terror...