The Conflict Of The Niger Delta - 1743 Words

INTRODUCTION TO THE CONFLICT IN THE NIGER DELTA Nigeria is the 7th world largest oil producer and is a major player in the world energy market. Oil and gas is Nigeria’s main source of revenue. It accounts for about 40% of the Gross Domestic Product and 70% of government revenues (Lawal 2004). Crude oil was first discovered in 1956 by Shell British Petroleum in a small village called Oloibiri present day Bayelsa State. Two years later oil in larger quantities was discovered in Ogoni. The Niger delta region has a population of 28 million people, a coverage of 70,000 square kilometers consisting of 606 fields, 5,284 wells, 7,000 kilometers of pipelines, 10 export terminals, 275 flow stations and a liquefied natural gas sector (Williams 2011). The Niger delta which is Nigeria’s oil belt has been embroiled in conflict and resistance against the government and multinational oil corporations that extract oil in the region. The Niger delta is highly volatile with insurgent groups controlling the area. Years of oil exploitation, environmental degradation and neglecting by the states has created an impoverished, marginalized and exploited region which has produced resistance form the youth in the Niger delta region. A regime of state repression and corporate violence has further generated popular criminal violence, lawlessness, illegal appropriations and insecurity (Williams 2011). Conflict in the Niger delta arose in the early 1990’s due to tension between the foreign oilShow MoreRelatedThe Amnesty Program In Nigeria1355 Words   |  6 Pagesprogram has been unable to engage other macro level changes. For example, it has notproduced the much anticipated security sector reforms, which is crucial in order to develop the type of intelligence that would be proactive in preventing future armed conflict. The Nigerian Police Force, a humongous, monolithic body of law enforcement officers, remains ill-equipped, ill-trained, and ill-funded to provide the much needed service to Nigerian people. Moreover, the task of using one central force to policeRead MoreThe Niger Delta And The Oil Companies1576 Words   |  7 PagesThe Niger Delta is a region of Nigeria that is very rich in crude oil and gas. Crude oil and gas make up 70% of the country s revenue and 95% of it s export earnings (Ezekoli, 5608). Those percentages are incredibly high and represents large amou nts of money that can be found in the region. However, the people of the Niger Delta never see the wealth that comes from their natural resources. The wealth instead goes to the oil companies set up in the area as well as the pockets of a few elite governmentRead MoreCorruption In Nigeria Essay examples1156 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, corruption is prevalent in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; public officers in this oil producing state of Nigeria are corrupt. Consequently, it has defied the Niger delta from developing politically and economically which has left the states reputation in a mess. Radicalization of youths, abject poverty and -political instability are the three leading effects of corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria. Corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria has led to abject povertyRead MoreImpact Of The Nigerian Presidential Amnesty Program1723 Words   |  7 Pages(Amnesty), a local form of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR), on crude oil production in Nigeria. The President of Nigeria announced the program on June 25th, 2009 which aimed to put an end to the insurgency crisis experienced in the Niger Delta region, particularly between 2006 - 2009 which had led to an average loss of about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day (cited in Asuni, 2009) and which had major implications for the government s revenue. Militants were given the opportunity forRead MoreThe Impact Of Oil Exploration On Nigeria1027 Words   |  5 Pagesproducer in Africa, and currently its most populous country. After the oil discovery in the Niger Delta area of Oloibiri in 1956, the country has had oil has its main income producer. Before this, agriculture had the center stage; it accounted f or 50% of revenue. Most of the oil exploration is done in the Niger Delta;a region that’s made up of nine states which includes; River, Cross River, AkwaIbom, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, and Ondo. This region has an estimated population of 28 million, amountingRead MoreEssay on Oil Conflict in Nigeria1259 Words   |  6 PagesOil Conflict in Nigeria Introduction This paper will discuss the Oil conflict that is occurring in Nigeria. Discussed will be the types of power that the two feuding parties are using and whether their strategies have been effective as well as the influence they have had on the conflict. The contrasting cultural differences and similarities will be discussed as well. The conflict in Nigeria has turned deadly and a successful communication environment must be developed in order to restore peaceRead MoreNigerian Development : The Face Of Oil Extraction And How Mncs Such As Shell Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pageslucrative resource that could arguably catalyze momentum towards economic development, poverty plagues Nigeria and continues to rise despite efforts to forge positive, developmental changes. In fact, areas showing the largest amounts of oil like the Niger Delta happen to be the country’s most economically marginalized region. A significant impetus of these tumultuous changes has been multinational oil corpor ations like Shell that have been extracting oil in Nigeria since 1956. This paper seeks to examineRead MoreAnalysis Of The Niger Delta And Its Past Struggles With Military Rule Essay1021 Words   |  5 PagesCase Summary What has occurred in the Niger Delta is linked to its past struggles with military rule transitioning to democratic rule, which often ends in a military regime taking control nonetheless. From the start of its independence, Nigeria has slowly grown in its dependence on oil as it’s main economic revenue stream. Before the discovery of oil, the state had yam and cassava crops, palm oil, rubber, and lumbers that provided economic revenue, though modest (Jike, V.T. 2004). However once oilRead MoreSolutions to the Niger Delta Problems in Nigeria4181 Words   |  17 PagesSOLUTIONS TO THE NIGER DELTA PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA AN ASSIGNMENT WRITTEN IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE DVS 512: TECHNOLOGY, ENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT BY ISU, DORATHY AKWUGO PG/MSC/07/46529 LECTURER: DR. OGAKWU INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, ENUGU CAMPUS. AUGUST 2009 BACKGROUND The Niger Delta produces the oil wealth which accounts for the bulk of Nigeria’s foreign earnings. Paradoxically however, these vast revenuesRead MoreThe Niger Delta Struggles: Its Implications for Resource Control.17990 Words   |  72 PagesTOPIC: THE NIGER DELTA STRUGGLES: ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR RESOURCE CONTROL. A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY The Niger Delta region, Nigeria s oil belt has been the site of a generalized ethnic and regional struggle for self-determination since 1998, the location of often-violent confrontations between local ethnic communities and agents of the Nigerian state and oil companies involved in the extraction and exploitation of oil in the area. What began as community agitation