(Thanks to my new friend Rainbow x for the tip, thank you for your support)
Chief Warit¡¯s territory is located in a small town called Ekini south of Ughelli, which is equivalent to a county town. It is much closer to Wari than to Ughelli. Because it is located at the junction of the two places, it has been the most backward area since ancient times.
Because power facilities cannot keep up, productivity is very backward. Except for dedicated lines serving oil wells, most areas do not have electricity. Even the palace where Warit's palace is located has frequent power outages. When Jonas is invited to his palace as a guest, a high-power natural gas generator supplies power to the palace.
Having cooperated with Rich for nearly ten years, Valit was very aware of Rich's strength, so he did not act like a chief in front of Jonas, but directly sent his driver to pick him up in his Mercedes-Benz. Jonas himself greeted him at the gate of his palace.
Wallit is only 45 years old and studied economics in London during his youth. Although his studies were interrupted due to his father's sudden death and he came back to inherit the position of chief, he was also influenced by the development of Western economy and had a paranoid passion for economic reform.
¡°However, in Nigeria, which is in desperate need of development, in a poor hometown, and in an environment where ignorant and backward ideas dominate, Warit is like a rice in a wheat field, and has to accept the reality in the real environment.
The cooperation with Richie was an explosion of his dissatisfaction with reality. Since the discovery of oil in Nigeria in the 1960s, oil has not only failed to improve the lives of the people in this country, but has instead brought bad luck to this land cursed by black gold. . The authoritarian government has plundered most of the wealth brought by oil and used the money to satisfy its own luxurious life. In the past few decades, almost all the hundreds of billions of dollars in black gold generated from oil have been misappropriated, leaving a polluted land to the people. unlivable land.
Under this circumstance, it seemed logical to cooperate with Rich. Although he was violently oppressed by the authoritarian government at the beginning, fortunately, he managed to survive. The collapse of the dictatorship and the income from oil left Warit with a relatively relaxed environment and superior economic advantages.
From 1998 to the present, Warit's territory has entered a period of rapid development, and the siphon effect produced by economic development has attracted the attention of major surrounding tribes. Tribes of the same ethnic group want to learn from development experience, but the Kofi tribe, which has always had a historical hatred with Warit, regards his tribal territory as a piece of fat.
Because of Richie¡¯s support, Warit¡¯s tribe gradually gained the advantage of turning defeat into victory from being passively beaten at the beginning. However, Warit is very smart. He will not directly defeat Kofi's tribe at once, because that will not only directly become the target of public criticism among the surrounding tribes, but also become a prominent figure in the government. Low-key development is what his tribe should do at this stage.
The two of them bowed affectionately, and Valite introduced his prime minister and ministers to meet Jonas, and then invited Jonas into a large courtyard-like palace. Warit is different from King Inlal. King Inlal is one of the only thirty great kings in Nigeria. Warit is only equivalent to a first-level chief, and his jurisdiction is only about one county. .
In Nigeria, the management functions of the government can only reach the state level. Anywhere below, these chiefs, large and small, manage local affairs. The government's regulations are also listened to when they should be heard, and not listened when they are not. In this area, Valit is the real king.
After entering the living room and sitting down, Valit said politely: "I have heard that you encountered an accident on the way here. You should regard me as a trusted friend and inform me. At least, I can arrange a helicopter to take you out. Take it."
Jonas smiled and said: "If we can't solve the problem ourselves, we will not be shy to ask for help from you, but because it is just a trivial matter, it would be too embarrassing to trouble our friends."
Valit said with a smile: "It is not a trivial matter to offend Kofi's tribe. Because they lack resources, they have many tribesmen who are doing this kind of unprofitable business. Moreover, his tribe is brave and likes to fight, and they care about human life. After all, It¡¯s a problem.¡±
Jonas said with a smile: "To us, they are not a threat at all. If we didn't take care of your government's face, we could easily make them disappear. Our company has countless businesses on the African continent. Although we have to pay attention to being friendly to make money, We must also pay attention to maintaining our own attitude. We must retaliate against those who have violated our interests, no matter who they are. Being friendly to friends and cruel to enemies has always been our principle in dealing with things."
These days, Jonas has paid close attention to the various systems of Rich Brothers Company, and now he also knows some common sense by heart. Jonas is also very pleased with the company image established by Rich.
Valit smiled and said: "Yes."?I have always been honored to be your friend. "Jonas's statement made him very satisfied, and he was no longer trying to sow discord with the Isoko people. He asked, "I heard that Mr. Hoffman also participated in the political and business forum held by President Obasanjo. What do you think about our Nigerian form? Changes, what kind of response plan does your company have? "
According to the information sent by Rich, Warit is the one who should be attracted, not only because oil has been drilled in his territory, but also because his sphere of influence is close to the oil town of Wari. Although the situation in Delta State is chaotic, it is also the main port second only to Port Harcourt. Having a wedge here and a friendly cooperation partner will not hurt the company.
Jonas said: ¡°Our company still strongly agrees with the current reform plan of the Nigerian government and intends to increase investment in the delta region. However, we have to wait until the government¡¯s detailed reform plan is released before we can determine the next step. "
"Is it the Delta region or the Delta state?" Valit asked. Delta State is a state, but the Delta region covers a large area. By investing in Delta State, Warit can get a share of the pie. If it is the Delta region, Warit believes that it will be difficult to make a difference there.
Jonas said: "Delta State has always been an important part of the Delta region. Although in recent years there have been more and more ethnic disputes and riots against the exploitation of large companies, this does not stop us from moving forward. The rich oil is enough for us to Be able to face any difficulties. In the north, we have always had a very good relationship with the Igbo people. In the south, although the ethnic groups are complex, we also have friends like you and the Igbo people. Even if there are some difficulties, we I believe we can definitely solve it.¡±
Valite nodded and said: "If your company is interested, I can contact a friendly tribe on your behalf and sign a security agreement with them to protect your company's investment."
Although he knew that Valit wanted to use this opportunity to gain some benefits from the alliance, Jonas would not object. Now it is he who wants to expand investment, not Rich. It is unrealistic to want Rich to give 100% of his strength. Being able to win more partners through Ritchie's banner, even if it costs a little more profit, is worth it.
Rich is getting older, and there are many investment opportunities. Now he is not interested in this kind of thankless investment. But Jonas knew that in the Gulf of Guinea, many large oil and gas fields were discovered one after another in the following years. The more allies here, the smoother future investments would be.
In addition to Nigeria, large oil and gas fields have been discovered in Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, and the small island country of Sao Tome and Principe surrounding Nigeria. What's even more rare is that the crude oil here is low-sulfur light oil similar to Iraqi oil, which is very popular internationally. In addition to West Africa, Jonas also remembers several places. Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique in East Africa all discovered giant oil and gas fields in the next few years, changing the history of East Africa without oil.
When Jonas listened to Xue Tao telling this story, what he remembered most clearly was that the company that discovered these oil fields was actually a small British company, Tullow Company, a professional exploration company. In a few years, it discovered Countless crude oil, the company has become famous internationally. After checking the information, Jonas found that Tuluo Company was not yet developed, so he had the idea of ????taking him into his pocket.
Jonas said: "I am very grateful to Mr. Obi for your kindness. Our company will definitely repay you for this." The chiefs of their Urhebe tribe are called Obi in formal occasions, which is equivalent to the king. , the honorific title of the leader.
"We Urhebo people are sincere in our treatment of our friends," Valit said with a smile.
"I wonder if your Excellency is familiar with the chieftain of Brutus?" Jonas asked knowingly. After Gander mentioned Brutus, Jonas and Johansen had already made a detailed understanding of this place. Brutus's tribe was also dominated by the Urhebo tribe, and Chiefs Quinn and Warrit had always been quite close friends. A close brotherly relationship.
Valit laughed and said: "Oil was not discovered in Brutus. Does Mr. Hoffman want to build a port there?"
Jonas said: ¡°Not only that, our company also intends to rebuild the abandoned Wari refinery, build a pipeline connecting Wari and Brutu, and build a large oil depot and port in Brutu. Of course, this is only preliminary. Intention, the key depends on whether you friends support our work."
Valit perked up and said, "This is a huge investment."
Jonas said: "Yes. Our company plans to invest nearly one billion US dollars to build these projects. If we can get your support, we are also interested in technologically transforming your existing oil wells to increase the oil production rate. Just ??These projects can greatly promote your local economic development. "
Valit exchanged glances with several ministers and saw that they were all full of excitement and anticipation. When Valit looked at them, they all nodded. "This is indeed good news," Wallit said. "With all due respect, does Mr. Hoffman's opinion represent Mr. Rich's opinion?"
Jonas nodded. "I actually have the support of my godfather."
Valit smiled and stretched out his hand and said: "For such a project, I am confident that I can win the support of all the chiefs here. Now, I can't wait to hear your specific arrangements for investment."
Jonas smiled, stretched out his hand and shook his hand tightly.
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