June 2026

In 1956, when Shell-BP began laying oil pipes in Oloibiri, present-day Bayelsa State, the community had little idea of what was unfolding before their eyes. They watched with curiosity as the Royal Dutch treasure hunters struggled to bury pipelines beneath their fertile soil. Frustrated, the oil men eventually turned to the elders. No royalties were demanded, only whisky and a goat to appease the gods, and with that modest offering, the intruders secured their right of way.