Politics of Conflict Oilification and Petro-Violence In The Niger Delta (original) (raw)
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At the start of oil exploration in the Niger Delta in 1956, the oil bearing communities had anticipated some measure of industrialization and economic empowerment. Unfortunately, this was not the case as oil exploration orchestrated systemic contradictions in the region evidenced in marginalization, social exclusion and environmental degradation. The situation was further complicated by the unholy alliance between the Nigerian state and the oil multinationals which consequently engendered militancy in the region, thus constituting a grave threat to Nigeria's democratic stability. As a panacea to the crisis, this paper calls for reforms in the country's land use act, restructuring of the Nigerian federation, stringent measures against the oil firms and continued dialogue between the warring parties amongst others. The qualitative research method of secondary data collection was adopted while the frustration-aggression theory was utilized as a framework of analysis.
Militancy in the Niger Delta and the Deepening Crisis of the Oil Economy in Nigeria
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The area known as the Niger Delta spans over 70,000 square kilometers. At the geographical and ecological levels, it is regarded as one of the foremost wetlands in the world, and rated as the ninth vastest drainage area in the world. In 1957, when oil was discovered at Oloibiri in today’s Balyelsa State of Nigeria, the British enacted the Mineral Ordinance Act which vested all the minerals in Nigeria in the British Crown. This Act paved the way for the continued denial that has characterized the relationship between the oil-bearing communities and the central government of Nigeria, leading to the Resource Control agitation by the peoples of the Niger Delta. This article argues that the Nigerian state, true to its colonial origins tightened its grip on the instruments with which to allocate profitable opportunities in the burgeoning oil economy of Nigeria at the expense of the oil-bearing communities. This condition has led to complaints, agitations, and finally to militancy whi...
Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social …, 2010
. The prevailing precarious situation is examined to ascertain the potency of democracy and its influence in ameliorating the conflict trajectory in this resource rich region. Specifically, the paper addresses the following questions; what are the socio-economic and political factors that account for arms proliferation in Nigeria's Niger Delta? Are there effects, either positive or negative, of arms proliferation on local conditions and the oilbearing communities? How can the situation be improved? What are the civilian government's policy prescriptions to improve the dangerous politico-military situations in the oil delta? Thus, the central argument of this paper is that it is the failure of the social contract (in general and of arms in particular) on the part of the Nigerian government that leads to the challenge, by the people of Niger Delta, of the state's legitimacy and its monopoly of the instruments of violence. The paper concludes by stating that since violence and arms proliferation in the Niger Delta are consequences of the breakdown of the social contract, then the solutions lie in reconstituting the social contract by addressing the root causes of the grievances of the oil-bearing communities.
Oil Wealth and Dialectics of Militant Revolt in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region
2015
The phenomenon of oil wealth in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria has engendered militant revolts that escalated to the stage whereby militant youths declared the government its enemy and engaged the armed forces in armed battle. Their acceptance of unsolicited amnesty granted them by the government opened a new window for the crisis to be resolved. This paper is intended to examine the factors and context of the crisis with a view to advancing sustainable resolution of the crisis. In doing this, the paper relies on documentary and descriptive method of data collection and analysis and recommends for a truth and reconciliation commission on Niger Delta.
Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Understanding the Complex Drivers of Violent Oil-related Conflict
Africa Development, 2010
This paper explores the complex roots and dimensions of the Niger Delta conflict which has escalated from ethnic minority protests against the federal Nigerian State-Oil Multinationals' alliance in the 1990's to the current insurgency that has attracted worldwide attention. It also raises some conceptual issues drawn from 'snapshots' taken from various perspectives in grappling with the complex roots of the oilrelated conflict in the paradoxically oil-rich but impoverished region as an important step in a nuanced reading of the local, national and international ramifications of the conflict and its implications for Nigeria's development. The conflict is then located both in the struggle of ethnic minority groups for local autonomy and the control of their natural resources (including oil), and the contradictions spawned by the transnational production of oil in the region. The transition from resistance -as-protest -to insurgency, as represented by attacks on state and oil company targets by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), is also critically analyzed.
Militancy in the Niger Delta: Petro-Capitalism and the Politics of Youth
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Oil has become a serious topic of academic discussion, largely pertaining to the developmental prospects it may confer and the links it has to conflict. Literature on the ‘resource curse’ has suggested that natural resources such as oil can create violent competition and protracted conflict over access to resource wealth. The forms this violence takes have been connected to the nature of the particular resource (Le Billon 2005; Ross 2003). This literature forms part of a broader research agenda considering economic explanations for conflict and civil war. A leading figure in this area, Paul Collier has proposed the ‘feasibility hypothesis’, stipulating: ‘where rebellion is materially feasible it will occur’ and that the motivations behind violent rebellion ‘are incidental to the explanation of civil war’ (Collier et al. 2006, 5). Collier strongly suggests that it is economic greed, the wish to gain access to resource wealth and the clientalist rents commonly connected to natural res...
The Militancy in the Oil Rich Niger Delta: Failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria
For years, the people of the Niger Delta were at logger-head with the Nigerian government. The objective of this study was to examine the reasons for this situation. The study specifically assessed the role failure of the Nigerian government to address the grievances of the Niger Delta people played in causing and escalating the crisis in the region. Data were obtained from secondary sources and content analysis done. The analysis revealed that the frustration of the people of the Niger Delta resulting from the failure of the Nigerian government to satisfy their socioeconomic needs led them into and escalated the orgy of violence witnessed in the region. Specifically, the frustration was caused by the devastation of the environment of the region, pervasive poverty and underdevelopment, legislations of disempowerment and subjugation, inability to control the crude oil resource and suppression of the people by the machinery of the state. A conclusion was reached to the effect that Nigerian government is largely responsible for the orgy of violence in the region. In this sense, some recommendations were made to find lasting solution to peace in the region and prevent future re-occurrence. The limitations of the study were highlighted and the need for future research direction was also suggested.
Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Understanding the Complex Drivers of Violent Conflict
Africa Development, 2009
This paper explores the complex roots and dimensions of the Niger Delta conflict which has escalated from ethnic minority protests against the federal Nigerian State-Oil Multinationals' alliance in the 1990's to the current insurgency that has attracted worldwide attention. It also raises some conceptual issues drawn from 'snapshots' taken from various perspectives in grappling with the complex roots of the oilrelated conflict in the paradoxically oil-rich but impoverished region as an important step in a nuanced reading of the local, national and international ramifications of the conflict and its implications for Nigeria's development. The conflict is then located both in the struggle of ethnic minority groups for local autonomy and the control of their natural resources (including oil), and the contradictions spawned by the transnational production of oil in the region. The transition from resistance -as-protest -to insurgency, as represented by attacks on state and oil company targets by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), is also critically analyzed.