Niger Delta Crisis In Nigeria; Root, Causes Of Peacelesness In The Region

Niger Delta Crisis In Nigeria; Root, Causes Of Peacelesness In The Region

Abstract

The oil painting rich Niger- Delta region of Nigeria has been bogged in extremity between the government forces and some zealots rudiments that are displeased over certain abecedarian issues affecting the region which has lead to peacelessness. Since the last two decades, zealots have fought with government forces, sabotaged oil painting installation taken foreign oil painting workers hostage and carried out murderous auto bombing. At the root of the problem is a extremity of underdevelopment. The extremity has been aggravated by imperative issues as gross deformation of Nigeria federalism in respect to coffers control, citizenship rights and environmental declination. Unfortunately, the external incarnation has been substantially that of violent agitation and felonious conditioning of some rudiments, taking advantage of the bad situation.

Chapter One

Preface

Background of the study

The presence of oil painting coffers in developing countries presents a huge incongruity on the one hand, oil painting and gas discoveries make the eradication of poverty and development of strong husbandry a possibilities. This is what happed, for illustration, in Texas and Alaska in themid-twentieth century’s. More lately, in 2004, also Prime Minister Mar. Alkafiri of East Timor declared the oil painting discoveries in the Timor Gap could give “ the plutocrat to immunize and educate every child ” in his country, one of the world’s newest and poorest countries( Jill Shakleman, “ oil painting gains and peace Does business have a part in peace- making? United States Institute of Peace, 2007p. 3). On the other hand, the “ curse of oil painting ” is apparent in numerous oil painting-rich countries worldwide, with oil painting- producing countries showing a high prevalence of corruption and violent conflict, and low scores in education and health services and profitable strength of the seventy- four countries to be in situations of current or implicit conflict by the International Crisis Group in February 2007, 35 percent have known oil painting and gas coffers( International Crisis Group, “ extremity watch ”). One of similar countries is Nigeria in the oil painting rich Niger Delta region. The extremity portends a veritably grave peril for the Niger- Delta Region in particular and the Nigerian state in general. The verity of the matter is that zealots aren’t only defying the Nigerian State, they’re also at war with an extension of global capitalism represented in the region by the transnational oil painting companies. The situation, if not elided, could lead to a serious war between the fortified zealots and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The soberness of the problem and its effect on the country made former chairman Shehu Shagari during his visit to Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta to declare that “ the biggest problem Nigeria faces moment in my humble opinion is with the zealots in the Niger Delta area ”( Shehu Shagari, BBC News, Wednesday 30 May, 2007).

Nigeria In Brief

Nigeria is a West African country. The country pride itself as the mammoth of Africa. The geographic equals are 1000N, 800E. It’s framed on the north by Niger and Chad, Cameroon on the east, the Atlantic Ocean on the south, and Benin Republic in West. It’s the most vibrant country in Africa with a population of about N150 million people and covers an area of 923,770 square kilometers or 356,200 square long hauls(httpgeography.about.com, penetrated June 26, 2010). The actuality of Nigeria dates back from January 1, 1914 when the possessions of Northern and Southern Nigeria and the colony of Lagos were composite by Sir. Frederick Lord Lugard.(R.O.F Ola andD.A. Tonwe, “ original administration and original government in Nigeria ”,p. 44). The reason for the admixture was purely profitable. The southern mandate was more feasible and had coffers than the lower endowed northern mandate. Nigeria is made up of 36 countries with Abuja the civil capital for political and executive wisdom. In the sharing of services, Nigeria is divided into six geo- political zones, videlicet South West, South East, South- South, North West, North East and North Central.

Niger Delta Area In Perspective

The Niger- Delta area is located in the South- South and South West/ East geo- political zone. South- South countries include; Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom but with the sowing of Bakassi Peninsular to the Cameroon in 2007 by the transnational court of justice, Cross Rivers desisted to be oil painting producing state to south west it’s include Ondo State and to the South East it’s made up of Abia and Imo State, the Niger- Delta covers an area of well over 70,000 square kilometers and it’s made up of over 40 ethnical groups with a population of about 15million people( Crisis Group Africa ReportNo. 118, 28 September, 2006,p. 28). The Niger- Delta is the largest swamp in Africa, it’s rich in both renewable and non renewable natural coffers similar as oil painting, gas, bitumen, non timber timber products and timber timber product, wildlife,etc. 95 percent of the total profit for the Nigerian government is generated from oil painting and gas disquisition.( BrisibeA.A. African tradition “ the identity of a people with special focus on globalization and its impact in the Niger Delta ”C.O.O.L Conference, Boston, USA, March 18, 2001,p. 1) in the Niger – Delta region.

Statement Of The Problem

It’s no secret that Nigeria is the sixth largest patron of oil painting and petroleum in the world and that’s the dependence of the frugality, counting for well over 90 percent of the exports. The low sulfur content of important of Nigeria’s petroleum makes it especially desirable in a pollution conscious world. There are other minerals available in Nigeria and some of them are Barite, Coal, Columbite, Flourite, Gold, Iron Ore, Kyanite, Uranium, Natural Gas, Phosphate, drum, etc. Before oil painting was discovered in 1957 in marketable volume at Oloibiri, in present day Bayelsa State, Nigeria principally survived on husbandry for its frugality and for original consumption. As at moment, oil painting had replaced cocoa, groundnut, and win products as the country’s largest foreign exchange earner. oil painting has been an important part of the Nigerian frugality. Since vast reserve of petroleum were discovered. According to available records, Nigeria has earned over 400 billion us bone as oil painting profit since the early 70s( International Crisis Group, Nigeria want in the midst of plenitude Africa ReportNo. 113, 19 July, 2006, p1). Despite this huge foreign exchange earnings, the frugality under performs, and the great maturity of the people haven’t been suitable to decide important benefits. Poverty, severance, decay structure, corruption at high situations, misery, lack of introductory mortal requirements,etc. seems to be the lot of the people. oil painting rather being a blessing to the people is now being regarded as a curse. This is because it has brought with it, negative effects rather than positive effects. This has lead to resentment against the civil government of Nigeria and the conditioning of the oil painting companies by the countries in the region, the sense of the grim extremity has strengthened since the last decade, when a uncommunicative group of fortified, hooded revolutionists operating under the name Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger- Delta( MEND) boosted attacks on oil painting platforms and pumping stations operated bymulti-national oil painting companies in the region. zealots from MEND and other groups have killed dogfaces and security guards, abducted both original and foreign oil painting workers, set off auto losers which has lead to oil painting spillage, declination, underdevelopment and suffering of the people in the region which has lead to raising violence in the reporteening with angry, frustrated people is creating a militant time lemon in the region.( Nigeria oil painting, curse of the Black Gold).

Ideal Of The Study

The following are the objects of this exploration design

1. To examine Nigeria’s Niger- Delta extremity

To find out the root causes of the peacelessness and restiveness.

To know the impact of the extremity on Nigeria and the Niger- Delta region.

To estimate and know the way forward out of the extremity.

To recommend result towards resolving the extremity in the region and to bring peace to the region.

Exploration Suppositions

For the successful completion of the study, the following exploration suppositions were formulated by the experimenter;

H0 there are no root causes of the peacelessness and restiveness.

H1 there are root causes of the peacelessness and restiveness

H02 there’s no impact of the extremity on Nigeria and the Niger- Delta region.

H2 there’s impact of the extremity on Nigeria and the Niger- Delta region.

Significance Of The Study

This design is of great significance to all those who read it, the youth, the government policy makers on the Niger- Delta region and the population at large. The exploration will also proffer result to the Nigeria’s Niger Delta extremity, there’s also no doubt that this exploration work will help reveal the root causes of the peacelessness in the region and also help to restrain the social and profitable ills caused by the extremity in the region.