Enclaves of Exception: Special Economic Zones and Extractive Practices in Nigeria by Omolade Adunbi

Author:Omolade Adunbi [Adunbi, Omolade]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Trade & Tariffs, Africa, Infrastructure, Political Science, Business & Economics, History, General
ISBN: 9780253059567
Google: psRLEAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 58734108
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2022-05-03T08:32:21+00:00

Fig. 4.1 Ogogoro refining in one of the Niger Delta communities. Source: Photograph by the author.

Jimmy’s family has been in the ogogoro business for a very long time. Jimmy, who is in his late twenties, narrated how he grew up being part of the ogogoro business in his village. His grandfather told him how his great-grandfather was an Ògún devotee and a palm wine tapper who was one of the earliest people to make the transition from tapping and selling palm wine to brewing ogogoro in the village. Over time, it became a tradition passed from one generation to the next. His grandfather passed the tradition to his father, who in turn passed it to him. The only difference today is that Jimmy has succeeded in using the same ogogoro refining technology in the making of artisanal refineries. In Jimmy’s compound, where his father still lives,13 there is a small space designated as an Ògún shrine in one corner of the compound. The shrine is composed of iron and other materials. Interestingly, Jimmy told me they are all Christians in his family but that members of his family also believe you cannot forget your family heritage; hence, they still worship Ògún but also go to church on Sundays. Jimmy has his own house but spends most of his time at his family compound when he is not working. The importance of the shrine to the work he does, Jimmy says, is that “Ògún takes part in our everyday activities. Ògún owns all the tools we use in making ogogoro as well as the tools we use in building infrastructure for our refineries. Remember, Ògún is the god of iron. In fact, he made the bike that brought you here possible.”14 While Jimmy has become an oil mogul, as he likes to call himself, one of his brothers still helps in sustaining the ogogoro business in keeping with the family tradition. Jimmy’s mother is one of the several women who sell it in the village.

Interestingly, there is a gender-based division of labor in terms of the brewing and selling of ogogoro. While the men brew the product (I should also note that there are a few women who also brew because it is mainly a family business), the women sell it in their shops or market stalls. The same parallel, as I explain in the next chapter, is also applicable to refined oil. Men mostly work in refining the crude, while women mostly work in the retail part of the business. Remarkably, in Jimmy’s village, I also saw many women display ogogoro simultaneously with engine oil, which is a by-product of the refined crude oil. In some instances, gasoline would also be displayed for sale by the women who sell ogogoro. It should be noted that ogogoro and gasoline (including engine oil and kerosene) are not displayed side by side because of the inherent danger in doing so. The women who have mastered the trade know very well that putting both products together on the same stall could create health problems.

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