About this ebook
In my first book, there was an elaborate treatment of the concepts of deprivation, destitution, desperation, and distress associated with the exploration and extraction of oil in the contemporary human society as typified by the case of the Niger Delta region in the core Southern Nigeria. The description and analysis was clearly articulated with an enduring affinity for possible solutions to these endemic problems of humanity.
Emphatically, in my first book, the case of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which has since become a mosaic of restive communities, attracted a critical treatment. This was done with very thoughtful and insightful examination. There was proper ex-ray of the plights of the common community people in that first book, Delta in Distress. These common citizens of the oil communities within the reviewed region are perpetually made to suffer the pangs of untold denials and despair while enormous oil and gas resources of inestimable economic worth are continually extracted from underneath their land.
Of course, these problems are not limited to only one region. They are global in scope and effects. Thus, the perpetual dependence on oil has drastically placed the security and economic future of the global community on tenterhooks. Of late, there appears to have been increasing interest in the concepts of oil-related crises and conflicts. These man-made mishaps have claimed many human lives. Their causes are directly linked to the mismanagement of the economic proceeds of the oil and gas resources.
The problems associated with perpetual global dependence on oil surpass the issues of deprivations, disaffections, conflicts and crises which, in a collaborative sense, perpetually pose threat to global security. More than that is the negative environmental impacts of oil operations in most oil regions. This trend has gone down to put the lives of plants, animals and human beings on our increasingly ailing planet Earth in serious jeopardy.
Obviously, energy is at the very center of our daily lives. Everybody uses energy from the time of rising from bed until the time of going back to sleep. In every nation of the world, there is a persistent drive to continually advance in technology. This growing technological break-through is what makes modern live easier and more convenient. So, the more technology the human folks use every blessed day, the greater our need for energy.
Looking at the compelling nature of this energy problem, and its interrelationship with almost every facet of the lives of virtually everybody in the society, every attempt to face the fearful odds associated with this problem implies a different and well defined approach to the issue. In the first place, America, like any of the other developed nations of the world, can no longer afford to risk treading the path of isolationism, neither can any of the other nations of the world afford to bask in the luxury of self-contentment or toughness under the present dispensation.
To say the least, President Obama and his team are truly driven by the realization that the United States must telegraph a new message of respect, collaboration and mutuality in the quest to lead the way out of the present pace of uncertainty that defines the global energy future. This new drive and President Obamas passion for our planets overall serenity, prosperity and progress are the themes, which this must-read volume drastically and critically examines. This book is truly a must-read.
About the author
Dr. Terry Mission Bagia is a rare combination of disciplined Christian Pilgrim, Community Organizer, Human Rights Lawyer, Businessman and Legal Scholar. Dr. Bagia is also author of the recently published Delta in Distress. Dr. Bagia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies and Communication (double major), a Master’s Degree in Political Science, with International Relations concentration, and the Juris Doctorate Degree (Law), with concentration in International Law and Corporate law (Finance Transactions), all acquired at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Dr. Bagia had also earned an LL.M (Master of Laws) in the same SUNY at Buffalo Law School with concentration in International Law, and has resolved to complete a Post-doctorate International Law scholarly research work with focus on “Oil Discovery and Exploitation by Transnational Corporations: A Challenge to Indigenous People’s Rights of Consultation and Consent in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.” Dr. Bagia’s unflinching commitment to hard work has earned him several enviable awards. Notable among them are: 2007 & 2008 highly-rated UB Educational Opportunity Center Distinguished Alumni Award; 2007 merit-driven International/Comparative Law Fellowship (served in Rivers State House of Assembly in Port Harcourt, Nigeria); 2004 and 2005 Nominee for the highly competitive International Mission for Diplomacy; The prestigious Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges; The National Dean’s List, among numerous others. Dr. Bagia is naturally a statesman, a strong apostle of global peace and a defender of human equality and freedom. He is driven by an unwavering passion for the ultimate rise of Africa. Dr. Bagia endorses International coalition and global cooperation as panacea for jump-starting the growth of Africa. Dr. Bagia tenaciously holds the belief that Nigeria’s potential for being a hub for modern development must be collectively explored and utilized. This passion and belief made him to join hands with fellow patriots to co-found United Nigerian Citizens Consultative Initiative Inc. (UNCCI), an organization dedicated to the transformation of the Nigerian socio-political landscape for the common good, in which he was unanimously appointed to become the pioneer President. Dr. Bagia has a knack for going for the stars. Dr. Bagia is happily married to Olivia Leesi Bagia. They are blessed with four wonderful children: NornuBari Anna Bagia, BeBari Terry Bagia (Jr.), VuraBari William Bagia and KaBari Adomale Bagia. They presently live in Buffalo, New York.
