In the 50 years since oil was first exported from the Niger Delta region, Nigeria has become the largest producer in Africa, earning $600 billion in oil revenues over the past five decades. But this historic windfall has not brought wealth or stability to Nigeria's people. Instead, oil wealth has led to crisis and decline, in what author Michael Watts calls "a gigantic failure of leadership and governance."

This original slideshow features firsthand commentary by photographer Ed Kashi and Nigerian advocate Asume Isaac Osuoka about the struggles of Niger Delta's citizens and the dire need for fair and responsible revenue management.

Use the player controls and clickable photos above to view the slideshow, or view a complete transcript here ...

NARRATORS

Ed Kashi is a photojournalist who has traveled extensively through the Niger Delta and around the world. His images and essays have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and numerous other publications. Kashi is co-author, with Michael Watts, of Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta. His work is currently on display as part of the Open Society Institute's Moving Walls 14 exhibition.

Asume Isaac Osuoka is the director of Social Action, an organization based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria that promotes citizen participation in the policies and practices in energy and mining, trade and investment that affect human rights, democracy and livelihoods. He is also founder and chair of the Steering Committee of Niger Delta Citizens and Budget Platform (NDCBP), a collaboration of civil society organisations promoting democratic accountability in the Niger Delta.

AUDIO

• Listen to a panel discussion from Revenue Watch and the Open Society Institute: Photography as Advocacy—A Half Century of Oil and Misery in the Niger Delta, featuring Antoine Heuty of RWI, Ina Howard-Parker, Ed Kashi, Omoyele Sowore, and Michael Watts. Learn more ...

NIGERIA OVERVIEW

• Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the eleventh largest producer of crude oil in the world. In 2006, total Nigerian oil production averaged 2.45 million barrels per day. Nigeria had 36.2 billion barrels in proven oil reserves as of January 2007.
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