Rough Trade in the Delta

Royal Dutch Shell’s decision to settle with the family of executed activist Ken Saro-Wiwa reminded us of this disturbringly prescient piece from a decade ago. It’s an account of all the dirty dealings that surround Nigeria’s oil wealth, and how oil companies and Big Men manage to keep enriching themselves despite frequent grassroots protests (or petty extortion). The thread running through the story is the tale of Leonard Hutto, a Chevron employee whose job was essentially to grease palms in the