The Niger River Delta, a fragile wetland of about 42,000 square miles produces 2 million barrels of crude oil a day and is worked by five multinational companies. It is home to about 7 million Nigerians. Abandoned by the government, hostile to the oil companies and ecologically ravaged, the delta is in a dismal state that sometimes seems impossible to remedy, one perpetuated by a seemingly endless cycle of distrust and violence.