"Oil is the reason for the present African Focus"

Militants target oil-rich Nigeria
Western intelligence services believe that Islamic extremists are making a determined effort to penetrate West Africa, an emerging world-class oil giant, amid signs that Osama bin Laden has singled out Nigeria for jihad......Having been ignored by the USA for decades, Africa has assumed a new importance for Washington as it moves to control oil supplies in the region, centred on the Gulf of Guinea, west of Nigeria. The US military is already seeking bases in the region.
www.janes.com/security/international
_security/news/jiaa/jiaa040629_1_n.shtml

Rising US stakes in Africa
Central/West Africa is in the early phases of an extended oil boom that will signifi-cantly enhance the global position of Nigeria and Angola and bring greater attention to emergent, unstable producers—Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and São Tomé and Príncipe, most importantly. With proven reserves of more than 60 billion barrels, the region today provides one in four new barrels of oil coming onto world markets from outside the Persian Gulf. In 10 years, if it remains attractive for invest-ment, Central/West Africa could supply up to 20 percent of U.S. imported oil, bolstering vital U.S. energy security and commercial interests.
www.csis.org/africa/0405_RisingStakes.pdf

Patrick Bond, "'The George Bush of Africa': Pretoria Chooses Subimperialism,"
(Silver City, NM & Washington, DC: Foreign Policy In Focus, July 13, 2004).
www.fpif.org/papers/0407bushafrica.html

Chevron/Texaco Invests About Usd 9 Billion in Oil
US oil company Chevron/Texaco has invested since 2003 about Usd 9 billion in the implementation of three petroleum exploration projects and routine burning of gas on the Angolan coast. The projects are "Sanha Condensados", "Tômbwa-Lândana" and "Belize-Lobito-Tomboco", located in the provinces of Cabinda, Zaire, (north), Namibe (southweat) and Benguela (centre), which are to be concluded in the year 2005.
allafrica.com/stories/200407160754.html

Fuel Price Discourse: Oil: Prize Or Curse? an International Quagmire
A nightmare of an unending stream of mediocre leaders turned this once burgeoning nation into a 'basket case.' The presence of eager and equally scheming multinational oil company executives, and easy access to petro-dollars, helped fan skyrocketing corruption, particularly in the public sector. This created a suitable milieu for a culture of "kickbacks," government sanctioned bunkering of oil, and the emergence of a corrupt and politically inept leadership desperate to cash in on the bonanza.allafrica.com/stories/200407150257.html

Nigerian Ports Will Be Shut Down July 29 If... Comrade Irabor
Secret plan by the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the World Bank to sell Nigerian Ports Authority to their cronies under the guise of Port Reforms, contrary to the genuine intention of the Federal Government. Plan by the BPE and the World Bank to exterminate the Nigerian Ports Authority. Deliberate omission of the Dockworkers issue/existence in the Ports Reform programme by the BPE. Calculated plan to deny the Dockworkers of their legitimate rights/benefits in the entire Ports Reform programme".
allafrica.com/stories/200407160398.html