Manage your
> oil wealth well, Venezuela urges Nigeria
>
> The Minister of Information and Communications, Dora
> Akunyili, yesterday got more than she bargained for when
> Enerique Fernando Arrundell, the Venezuelan Ambassador to
> Nigeria, used the opportunity of his visit to her office to
> tell Nigerians some hard lessons on how to manage, develop
> and utilise their God-given natural resources for the
> benefit and good of all.
>
> The envoy, who was responding to an appeal by Mrs. Akunyili
> to help woo some of his country’s investors to come in and
> establish refineries under the federal government’s
> planned deregulation of the downstream sector of the
> nation’s petroleum industry, advised Nigeria to rather
> look inwards and to take full control of the industry.
>
> Though, he acknowledged Venezuela as a prominent member of
> the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
> like Nigeria, he said
> his country will be willing to collaborate with the
> federal government to develop the industry.
>
> The hard truth
>
> Mr. Arrundell said, “In Venezuela, since 1999, we’ve
> never had a raise in fuel price. We only pay $1.02 to fill
> the tank. What I pay for with N12,000 here (Nigeria), in
> Venezuela I’ll pay N400. What is happening is simple. Our
> President (Hugo Chavez) decided one day to control the
> industry, because it belongs to the Venezuelans. If you
> don’t control the industry, your development will be in
> the hands of the foreigners.
>
> You have to have your own country. The oil is your
> country’s. Sorry I am telling you this. I am giving you
> the experience of Venezuela. We have 12 refineries in the
> United States, 18,000 gas stations in the West Coast. All we
> are doing is in the hands of the Venezuelans.”
>
> The envoy said, “Before 1999, we had three or four
> foreign companies working with us. That time they were
> taking 80
> per cent, and giving us 20. Now, we have 90 per cent, and
> giving them 10. But now, we have 22 countries working with
> us in that condition.
>
> It is the Venezuelan condition. You know why? It is because
> 60 per cent of the income goes to social programmes.
> That’s why we have 22,000 medical doctors assisting the
> people in the community. The people don’t go to the
> hospital; doctors go to their houses. This is because the
> money is handled by the Venezuelans. How come Nigeria that
> has more technical manpower than Venezuela, with 150 million
> people, and very intellectual people all around, not been
> able to get it right? The question is: If you are not
> handling your resources, how are you going to handle the
> country?
>
> “So, it is important that Nigeria takes control of her
> resources. We have no illiterate people. We have over 17 new
> universities totally free. I graduated from the university
> without paying one cent, and take three meals every day,
> because we have the resources. We want the resources of
> the Nigerian people for the Nigerians. It is enough! It is
> enough, Minister!”
>
>
> It shall be
> well with Nigeria.

A friend sent this to my e-mail. Did you see the publication? Any links?