Violence And Poverty Plagues Oil Rich The Niger Delta

NEAR PORT HARCOURT, NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA - OCTOBER 12: Crude oil from a spill burns October 12, 2004 in Goi, Nigeria. Shell claims the spill is from a sabotaged pipeline. The Niger Delta, where the bulk of Nigeria's oil comes from, is plagued by violence between rival warlords, ethnic groups, and the government frequently leading to the kidnapping of oil workers and interfering with oil production. A member of OPEC, Nigeria is the world's seventh largest crude oil exporter, and the fifth largest supplier to the U.S. Royal Dutch/Shell leads Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, Total Fin Elf and Agip in production through a series of joint ventures with the government. Despite producing 2.26 million barrels of oil a day, 60 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line. (Photo by Jacob Silberberg/Getty Images)