2007年VOA标准英语-New Nigerian President Inherits Turbulent Niger

Newly instated Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua will face as one of his first challenges controlling the unruly and lawless Niger Delta 1.  Kidnappings of foreigners have escalated 2 as armed militants 4 and average citizens decry 5 the persistence 6 of rampant 7 poverty in a region teeming 8 with oil wealth.  Kari Barber reports from the Niger Delta. 

Two Indian petrochemical workers were abducted 9 at gunpoint from their apartment.  Security guards say an armed group fired on the building in the early hours of the morning and took the two men captive. "They were holding ammunition 10 that was more than the security's."

The guard on duty was armed with a baton 11.  Hostages are usually held until a ransom 12 is paid.

A militant 3 group called The Niger Delta Vigilantes struts 13 through the streets of Okrika Island.  The group has become a major militant force fighting for better compensation for the region from the government and oil companies.  They say they wish peaceful means were an option.

Marcus Appolos, Commander with the Iijaw Youth Council



Some militant groups choose to keep a low profile.  Speaking from an upstairs safe house, Commander Marcus Appolos with the Iijaw Youth Council says violence has increased because people in the Niger Delta feel the government is ignoring their needs while reaping the financial benefits of the region's oil.

"The threat of the Niger Delta was not like this [before], but today every little child is aware of fighting for freedom.  So now even unborn children are happy to die for justice."

A maze 14 of winding 15 waterways offers hideouts for militant bases, accessible only by speedboat. Small fishing villages like this are caught in the crossfire 16 of gang-like warfare 17 as militant groups battle for territory.  Fishermen here say they have lost their livelihood 18.

One such fisherman is Samuel Johnson, who says, "All of my things are lost.  My house is burned.  My canoe, my net is finished.  I am empty."

Meanwhile, a pipeline 19 outside the village moves oil underneath 20 the waterways.  One of the complaints of militant groups and citizens is that oil production has degraded their environment.  Gas flares 21 are common.

In the village of Ikarama in the southern state of Bayelsa people live by farming and fishing. 

But they say life has become more difficult since oil from a line belonging to Dutch conglomerate 22 Shell began seeping 23 to the surface, spilling across a field and entering the creeks 24 and swamps. Engineer Lambert Miebi says the environment is not safe. "We are not in a safe environment. We feed from this soil and also we fish from these swamps, we have so many ponds around.  We fish from them and they are all polluted."

Oil companies, including Shell, were contacted for this report but representatives say they are too busy dealing 25 with attacks and hostage situations to speak to the media.

Residents say another oil company built a footbridge for them as a sign of good relations. But, they say now the bridge is falling apart.