Why "Gas, Thank Jesus"?
Nigeria is a resource rich county with an impoverished population. There are a multitude of reasons for this, more than I can list or understand: history of ethnic fighting, colonization, military rule, dictatorships; government and individual corruption; burgeoning population; desertification....
Nigeria is the eighth largest exporter of crude oil. The average Nigerian lives on $1 (U.S.) a day, which even translated into Nigerian naira and Nigerian prices is not much. Is not enough.
Nigeria is the third largest supplier of oil to the United States and has contracts with South Korea and China, among others. Nigerian citizens cannot afford their own export. A liter of petrol can cost $1. Nigerians do not even always have access to gasoline. Distribution, refinement capacity, and poverty work against a consistent supply. You see a lot of nice looking gas stations which are closed. They look like they were built and never used.
On the road from Ibadan to Lagos, I saw a handwritten sign posted to a tree
Nigeria is the eighth largest exporter of crude oil. The average Nigerian lives on $1 (U.S.) a day, which even translated into Nigerian naira and Nigerian prices is not much. Is not enough.
Nigeria is the third largest supplier of oil to the United States and has contracts with South Korea and China, among others. Nigerian citizens cannot afford their own export. A liter of petrol can cost $1. Nigerians do not even always have access to gasoline. Distribution, refinement capacity, and poverty work against a consistent supply. You see a lot of nice looking gas stations which are closed. They look like they were built and never used.
On the road from Ibadan to Lagos, I saw a handwritten sign posted to a tree
GAS
THANK JESUS
THANK JESUS
This summarized much of my Nigerian experience. It may be the most important story that I share.
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