The Power of Partnership: Building Sustainable Future Through Partnership in Post-Conflict Niger Delta of Nigeria (original) (raw)
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International Journal in Management and Social Science, 2018
Niger Delta region of Nigeria is an area where crude oil which is the mainstay of Nigeria economy is being produced. In the process of producing crude, their environment has been violated, and the region has faced and is still facing neglect. Development i s at low ebb in the region culminating in the frustrated locals resorting to militancy and engaging in armed struggle including vandalisation of oil pipelines, kidnapping of oil workers and expatriates, etc. As a way of restoring peace to the area, the federal government of Nigeria introduced an amnesty programme that was meant to reintegrate the disarmed restive youths into the society and clean up the environment in an attempt to bring forth sustainable development of the neglected area. To achieve sustainable development, there must be economic development, social development and environmental protection and stability. This is achievable only through integration and acknowledgement of economic, environmental and social concerns. Amnesty programme falls under social and economic concerns. This paper is of the view that sustainable development of the Niger Delta of Nigeria requires sustainability of Amnesty programme as part of fulfillment of the social and economic concerns without losing sight of environmental concern.
Niger Delta Research Digest, 2013
This article explores the anatomy of the ongoing Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta. It posits that while the Programme fashioned in line with Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) procedures is relevant to, and to some degree has succeeded in de-escalating violence and hostilities to set in motion robust peacebuilding initiatives in the region, it appears the Programme is playing OUT a different script. It is argued here that the prevailing calm is an expression of a unique variation to the rebel-greed hypothesis: enforced pacifism rooted in the economic incentives and gains in halting hostilities. The article holds that the touted successes of the Programme are founded not in its viability in aiding the resolution of the structural and individual level conflict drivers but arising in part from a state-sponsored private reward system and on the other part, drawing from the prevailing political context and bolstered by identity motivated conscious actions.
Evaluation of Potentials for Peace Sustainability in the Post-Amnesty Niger Delta, Nigeria
Abstract: The Niger Delta areas, Nigeria, through rich in natural resources had witnessed several decades of conflict on account of systematic degradation of the region. Cosmetic measures adopted by previous government achieved little or no result until relative peace was accomplished on implementation of amnesty programme by the federal government in 2009. This paper assessed the prospects for achieving sustainable peace to prevent a relapse of armed conflict. The paper was descriptive and relied on secondary data sources. The paper found that the disarmament programme had achieved relative success as not all the militant groups keyed into the programme. In addition the coverage of the rehabilitation programme was positively skewed in favour of the militants to the exclusion of the generality of the citizens while such exclusion may portend danger for the future. Furthermore, the amnesty programme was anchored on militants and notable personalities rather than institutionally based while the infrastructural development could still be improved upon to serve as solid foundation for speedy development. The study therefore concluded that sustainable peace is a possibility with sincerity of purpose by the stakeholders. The study recommended that the stakeholders adopt inclusive approach to correct the identified deficiencies. Key words: Conflict, Militancy, Amnesty, Disarmament, Peace Sustainability, Niger Delta
Amnesty Initiative and the Dilemma of Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Many decades of exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources have adversely affected the host communities in the Niger Delta. Environmental degradation, loss of means of livelihood, unemployment, poverty, loss of lives and general underdevelopment characterized the region. These formidable odds that threaten the survival of the Niger Delta people triggered off various shades of interminable violent agitations by militants that involved hostage taking and attacks on oil installations. These agitations, no doubt, reduced crude oil production and had adverse effect on the national economy. This prompted the Nigerian state to intermittently launch attacks on the militants. In spite of the bombardments by the military Joint Task Force, the militants remain resolute in their agitations. Disturbed by the security and economic challenges, the Nigerian state came out with the amnesty initiative. The initiative was designed for the militants to surrender their arms, renounce militancy and also create a favourable atmosphere for the sustainable development of the region. This paper is geared towards examining theoretically, the efficacy of the amnesty initiative in finding solution to the general problem of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta. Situating the discourse within economic integration framework, the paper argues succinctly that the amnesty initiative is intentionally designed to deceitfully disarm the militants and create an enabling environment for the multinational oil companies to operate unhindered while ignoring the burning issues of underdevelopment that triggered the violent agitations in the first place. In order to avert a relapse into militancy, the Nigerian state must develop a credible rehabilitation package for the ex-militants and a holistic framework that can adequately address the problem of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta.
This paper intends to examine peace building efforts in post-conflict Niger Delta. The conflict which has affected oil production in Nigeria. This is also because oil is the main stay and a major source of energy in Nigeria. The study tends to look at the method, causes and assessment of the amnesty programme. The study covers a time frame between 2009 to 2015. The qualitative method is adopted and the use of secondary data will be employed for data generation and analysis as well. This study will reveal individual or group involved in the conflict. It will further proved that persistent neglect, deprivation and marginalization without development or compensation, high level of unemployment, environment degradation, uneven resource distribution and lack of basic amnesty. It was these problems that led to the emergence of militancy in the region for the past years. The study also reveal an attempt made by successive Nigeria Government to establish different commission to look into the Niger Delta issue, the DDR programme, security implications and its challenges in the Niger Delta clearly indicate that until the root cause of the region is achieved there will not be enduring peace, security and stability in the environment.
Nigeria: In Search of Sustainable Peace in the Niger Delta through the Amnesty Programme
Journal of Sustainable Development, 2012
Environmental pollution by way of oil spillage and gas flaring are the lots and bane of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where the country's oil exploration activities are carried on by the oil multinational companies (MNCs). The cries of the people as well as several non-governmental organizations for attention to the area were not only spurned, but were at intervals rebuffed with crackdown and repression from successive administrations in the country, with the strong connivance of the oil MNCs. The situation reached a crescendo, when the people of this region took to self-help by bombing, kidnapping and abducting the expatriates and other categories of personnel of the oil MNCs in exchange for monetary ransom. The government not able to bear the embarrassment and the drop in daily oil production, coupled with the substantial loss of revenues devised the amnesty programme in 2009 as solution to the quagmire. The paper is aimed at examining the circumstances causing the crisis situation in the area, and the attendant consequences to the people of the areas and to the global community. It will attempt a critical analysis of the amnesty programme of the Federal government as a last resort and its impact at ensuring durable peace and sustainable development in the region. It discusses some of the challenges to amnesty programme and concludes with potential policy recommendations.