Here is a ten-minute video summary of Nigerian oil politics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drNX6nQHnzI. I would add that Ken Saro-Wiwa was not publicly executed as stated, but rather secretly hung outside of his prison cell.  Also, the video mentions the People’s Volunteer Force but arguably MEND is the most politically potent group in the area.  As an update, Nigeria now has a population of 167 million and within the next two decades will be the third most populous country on earth after China and India, according to the The Economist.