Nigeria’s obsession with oil and the history of its leaders syphoning off oil revenues have had a huge impact on the country as a whole and the Niger Delta in particular. It has created a perception that the best way to make money is by tapping into oil money by whatever means possible, whether through oil theft, fuel subsidy scams, or illegal refining. Petrocrime has permeated the Delta in much the same way that oil spills have soaked into the region’s soils. When Nigeria became independent in 1960, hopes were high that the new nation could use its natural resources…