Sunday Magazine

TO say that the Niger Delta militant activities since 2006 have had serious negative effects on the country's economy is stating the obvious. Nigeria relies, for over 80 percent of all its income, on the exportation of crude oil and natural gas from the Niger Delta. As such, the region's oil wealth is absolutely crucial to the sustenance of the country.

Form our focus last week on Africa, we move this week to Nigeria as a particularly exemplary national instance of our continent's integration into millennial capitalism. This provides us with a great opportunity to clarify the notion of the occult economy and its many bewildering expressions.