Ed Kashi - Curse of the Black Gold

Oil-soaked workers take a break from cleaning up a spill at an abandoned Shell Petroleum Development Company well in Oloibiri, Niger Delta. Wellhead 14 was closed in 1977 but has been leaking for years, and in June of 2004 it finally released an oil spill of over 20,000 barrels of crude. Workers subcontracted by Shell Oil Company clean it up.

A woman peeks out of her doorway in the remote town of Sangana in the Niger Delta. Graffiti on the corrugated metal wall reads "Trust Nobody."

A Shell worker holds a machete during a cleanup operation of an oil spill at an abandoned Shell Petroleum Development Company well in Oloibiri, while disgruntled locals watch. Wellhead 14 was closed in 1977 but has been leaking for years, and in June of 2004 it finally released an oil spill of over 20,000 barrels of crude. Workers subcontracted by Shell Oil Company clean it up.

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Nigerian workers and some expatriate oil workers on the Amenam Kpono oil platform off the Niger Delta in the Atlantic Ocean. This platform produces 125,000 barrels of oil a day for Total of France, and although it employs approximately 90 percent Nigerians, few of them are from the Niger Delta.

King Nemi Tamunoyalla Oputibeyax, of Okrika Town in the Niger Delta, sits on his throne. He was made a new king in 2002, as part of the evolution of the tribal communities in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Living conditions in Okrika, Niger Delta, with evidence of oil leaks and oil fire along the pipelines to the coast terminal run by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

The pollution and environmental degradation of the Niger Delta is striking, particularly in its cities and towns. In such places as old Bonny Town on Bonny Island, the evidence of no sanitation is overwhelming. This is a historical place, where the slave trade and palm oil trade previously were based. Now it's stuck in poverty and underdevelopment while the oil and gas companies expand and grow. None of the locals are given work within any of the gas and oil facilities on Bonny Island, which has caused widespread resentment and frustration.

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An oil-soaked worker subcontracted by Shell Petroleum Development Company cleans up an oil spill from an abandoned well in Oloibiri, Niger Delta. Wellhead 14 was closed in 1977 but has been leaking for years, and in June of 2004 it finally released an oil spill of over 20,000 barrels of crude.

A Nembe fishing village in Bayelsa State with a Shell pipeline running through its little harbor. Esau Goldsmith, 57, works to fix the shore by his fishing shed, which he doesn't use for fishing much anymore. The pollution has all but killed fishing in this tiny community.

In the tiny village of Ubeji, which is an ethnic Itsekeri community near an NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Company) refinery, sand is collected from the creeks for sale to contractors and large construction companies.

Daily life scenes in Finima, with the Exxon Mobil Gas plant looming in the background. Finima is a community of people displaced by the rapid growth of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas plant on Bonny Island. None of the locals are given work within any of the gas and oil facilities on Bonny Island, which has caused widespread resentment and frustration.

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Traffic and billboard on the streets of Port Harcourt, the main city of the Niger Delta.

As a tanker truck transporting refined petroleum drives by, street vendors sell to motorists stuck in traffic in Port Harcourt, the Niger Delta's main city.

Scenes onboard a big market boat as it makes the two-hour journey from Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, to the little village of Ikibiri.

The home of Papa Isamu lays sunken in sand since 2004, when the encroaching waters of the Niger Delta creeks eroded the unprotected shoreline. In this town of 20,000 located in the middle of the Delta, hundreds of homes have been lost to this same fate. The local residents are bitter about the lack of protection that the oil companies and government have provided for them, while the oil industry has been allowed to protect their facilities and been allowed to dredge the nearby waters, which has only exacerbated the problems of the local communities. Erosion is one of the main environmental impacts of the oil industry.

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On Bonny Island, Brother John of the Assemblies of God [Pentecostal] Church preaches in the middle of the market of old Bonny Town. This is a historical place, where the slave trade and palm oil trade previously were based. Now it's stuck in poverty and underdevelopment while the oil and gas companies expand and grow. None of the locals are given work within any of the gas and oil facilities on Bonny Island, which has caused widespread resentment and frustration.

The Cherubim and Seraphim Mount Zion church in Finima is an African-Christian church that has branches throughout the Delta. It was founded by a Nigerian man in the early 20th century.

In the oil town of Afiesere, in the Warri North district of the Niger Delta, local Urhobo people bake "krokpo-garri," or tapioca, in the heat of a gas flare. Since 1961, when Shell Petroleum Development Company first opened this flow station, residents of the local community have worked in this way. Life expectancy is short for the Urhobo people, as pollutants from the flare cause serious health problems.

In the oil town of Afiesere, in the Warri North district of the Niger Delta, local Urhobo people bake "krokpo-garri," or tapioca, in the heat of a gas flare. Since 1961, when Shell Petroleum Development Company first opened this flow station, residents of the local community have worked in this way. Life span is short for these people, as pollutants from the flare cause serious health problems.

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Odiama is a town that was attacked and destroyed by the Nigerian military Joint Task Force as part of Operation Restore Hope in 2005. At least 17 people were killed and virtually all buildings and homes were burned down or destroyed. The population had been nearly 15,000 but since the attack only 2,500 residents have returned to start rebuilding their homes, businesses and lives. The attack was part of a campaign of retaliation and intimidation by the government security forces in response to attacks on oil facilities in the area. The town is now occupied by the military.

Students in the run-down primary school of Ogulagha take their exams or "just hang out." Most of the classrooms don't have tables for the students and most of the teachers don't show up due to lack of pay.

In the fishing village of Finima, men cut wood from the mangrove trees in the swamps to use for drying fish. With the Exxon Mobil Gas plant across the water, fishermen arrive to drop off their catches of bonga fish, gold fish, silver fish and crayfish. Due to pollution caused by the oil companies, the catches have decreased in quality and quantity. This has caused major problems of unemployment for the local young men. Finima is a newly relocated community caused by the rapid growth of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas plant on Bonny Island. None of the locals are given work within any of the gas and oil facilities on Bonny Island, which has caused widespread resentment and frustration.

In the village of Odiemereyi, an oil spill from an old Total pipeline from 1968 spoils a swamp near fields of the community. People must pass through the polluted waters to get to their fields and farms. Chief Sunday Ugwu, 53, whose land the spill has effected, wades through the oil muck to work in his fields.

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A disgruntled worker attempts to board the oil rig "Auntie Julie the Martyr," run by Conoil, the Nigerian-owned oil company. Locals have made numerous attempts to take over oil rigs as an expression of protest.

Children play in the polluted waters off Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. The fishing community of Finima was relocated to make way for the the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas plant, and many of the island residents now live in its shadow in shantytowns.

Scenes of daily life in the oil city of Warri, in the Niger Delta. Warri is a troubled town, with rampant poverty, unemployment, angry and violent youth and a crumbling infrastructure. Yet oil wealth is created in and around this area. On the congested and broken-down streets of the town, "hawkers" sell fuel illegally. Due to shortages, high prices and lines at the gas stations, there are many of these sellers on the streets of Warri.

Traffic, rain and poor streets with deep puddles of water -- signs of the poor infrastructure in this oil-rich city of the Niger Delta. The congestion in Port Harcourt is a significant problem and there seems to be no solution in sight.

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Near the village of Kpean in Ogoniland, a burning Shell oil wellhead leaks oil into the surrounding farm lands. Even though Shell has not been allowed to pump oil from its 125 wells in Ogoniland since 1993, they still have wells that are leaking and often unattended or maintained. This lack of action, which pollutes the lands and forces farmers and fishermen out of work, makes relations between the local communities and Shell very fractious. This Shell oil well is more than 30 years old and this scenario is typical of the kinds of ongoing problems with the oil works of the Niger Delta.

In the Ogoniland village of Kpean, an oil wellhead that had been leaking for weeks has turned into a raging inferno. The local youths keep watch, waiting for Shell to come and put the fire out. This is an environmental disaster for the local people, as it affects their crops, their water and air. This Shell oil well is more than 30 years old and this scenario is typical of the kinds of ongoing problems with the oil works of the Niger Delta.

Tanker drivers wait for work in the Tanker Park of PTD (Petroleum Tanker Drivers), the only one in Delta State. Due to the crisis in the Delta this year, the refinery in Warri has been nearly shut down for production, so many of these drivers have been waiting for three months at this park to get oil products to deliver around Nigeria. This is one of the worst slowdowns in Nigerian history.

Trans Amadi Slaughterhouse is the largest abattoir in the Delta. They kill thousands of animals a day, roast them, cut them up and prepare the meat for sale throughout Rivers State and the rest of the Delta. Nearly all of the workers here, especially the meat handlers, are Hausa and Yoruba, mostly Muslim too. In the Delta, fish was traditionally the main source of protein, but as fish stocks have dwindled due to pollution from oil and over-fishing, meat is becoming more common.

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A boy selling drinks at Trans Amadi Slaughterhouse, the largest abattoir in the Delta. They kill thousands of animals a day, roast them, cut them up and prepare the meat for sale throughout Rivers State and the rest of the Delta. Nearly all of the workers here, especially the meat handlers, are Hausa and Yoruba, mostly Muslim too. Fish was traditionally the main source of protein in the Delta, but as fish stocks have dwindled due to pollution from oil and over-fishing, meat is becoming more common.

In Nembe Town, Bayelsa State gubernatorial candidate Chief Timipre Sylva holds a campaign event. Local chiefs, supporters and townsfolk come out for this rare political event. Members of the Joint Military Task Force, named Operation Restore Hope, watch over the political rally.

In the Ijaw village of Oporoza, armed militants with MEND [Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta] make a show of arms in support of their fallen comrades deep in the swamps of the Niger Delta. Nine MEND fighters were recently killed when ambushed by the Nigerian military.

Militants with MEND [Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta] brandish their weapons in the creeks of the Niger Delta. Here they check a former Nigerian Army floating barracks that they had destroyed in March of 2006. Fourteen soldiers died in that attack and due to acts like this by MEND, 20 percent of Nigeria's oil output has been cut.

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Deep in the Niger Delta swamps, armed militants with MEND [Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta] make a show of arms in support of fallen comrades. Nine MEND fighters were recently killed in a military ambush. They had just negotiated the release of a Shell worker taken hostage and while on the way back through the creeks to deliver the worker to freedom, Nigerian military boats ambushed them and killed all nine of the MEND members as well as the Shell worker.