THE IMPACT OF CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ON EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGER DELTA REGION

THE IMPACT OF CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ON EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGER DELTA REGION

CHAPITER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE STUDY’S CONTEXT

When societal change is inevitable, conflict is a vital part of life for people, but conflicts that result in untimely deaths, deprivation, or damage to social security are inhuman and should be opposed.

With over 250 different ethnic groups and a population of about 140 million, Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa.

The Niger-Delta region is home to a network of lagoons, mangrove swamp forests, and rivers that are abundant in hydrocarbons. The Niger-Delta region is thought to produce about 2.5 million barrels of crude oil daily. Nigeria is the sixth-biggest oil producer in the world and the largest in Africa with this level of output. In addition, these finds and production help the Niger Delta account for 90% of Nigeria’s revenue and roughly 95% of its foreign exchange earnings (CBN, Annual report 2003). For Nigeria and the rest of the world, the Niger-Delta region is always essential and crucial.

Six states once made up the Niger-Delta region: Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers, which were distributed along Nigeria’s coasts. With the addition of Abia, Imo, and Ondo to the previous six states, the term “Niger-Delta area” now encompasses all of the states that produce crude oil.

It is more accurate to refer to the situation in Nigeria’s oil-producing communities as a “crisis within a crisis” due to its complexity and diversity. In the Niger-Delta region, inter- and intracommunity relations have recently been characterized by a high incidence of conflict and violence. The conflict between the Ogonis and the oil infrastructure intensified and became more serious on both sides starting in December 1992. Military repression intensified in May 1994. In the bulk of Ogoni villages, soldiers and mobile police officers first emerged on May 21. Four Ogoni chiefs (all of whom were on the conservative side of a division within MOSOP over tactics) were brutally murdered on that day. Nine activists from the movement known as “The Ogoni Nine,” including Ken Saro-Wiwa, were detained and accused of inciting to murder after the deaths of four Ogoni elders in May 1994. Saro-Wiwa and his coworkers denied the allegations, but they were detained for more than a year before a tribunal formed especially and hand-selected by General Sani Abacha judged them guilty and sentenced them to death on November 10, 1995. After being found guilty, the activists were hanged by the Nigerian government without receiving a fair trial.

Numerous people died during the Warri ethnic strife, which broke out in March 1997. There have also been rumors of fighting and violence between the Itsekiris and Urhobos, as well as between various Isoko tribes in Delta State and other Ijaw tribes in Bayelsa State. The Ijaws and the Yoruba communities in Ondo state have clashed, whereas the Ogonis and Andonis have. In Akwa Ibom State, there have also been reports of intercommunal violence. The level of hostility and mistrust amongst the various communities in the Niger-Delta has been rising since about 1990. In an article titled “The Coming War in the Delta,” Ken-Saro Wiwa (1990) warned of the development of intercommunal violence in the Niger-Delta region. “The smoldering battle in the Delta claimed its first lives about three weeks ago,” he said at the time, “six dead I, twenty injured.” I had foreseen it in 1988 and provided sufficient notice. If fast action is not taken to diffuse the situation, I am concerned that war will start. I must urge the Delta communities to abstain from using violence in their legitimate struggle for justice.

The ‘worst is yet to come,’ as Saro-Wiwa foresaw, has not only already happened, but has gotten worse to the point where the various communities in the Niger-Delta are marked by tension, violence, mistrust, and attempts by each community to show that it is first among the exploited and despoiled victims of the Niger-Delta.

While addressing the rise in inter- and intracommunity violence, it should be highlighted that conflict characterized community interaction in the Niger-Delta.

The researcher is interested in investigating the conflicts in the Niger Delta area and figuring out how conflicts in the region may be effectively controlled by solving the issues that locals in the area face.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM, 1.2.

The Niger-Delta region’s residents have endured severe social and economic infrastructure neglect, poverty, annoyances, ecological disasters, and other hardships despite their contributions to Nigeria’s progress. The current situation in the Niger-Delta region must be emphasized because it has significantly impacted educational output. Vulnerable children are in grave danger during conflicts. It might force out kids, tear down schools, and mess up the educational system. If nothing is done, children could not have access to a quality education that is safe. Catastrophic conflicts like the one in the Niger Delta rarely end with a good education. As school buildings are destroyed or occupied by the military, crucial educational financial resources are diverted to military endeavors, teachers’ wages are diverted, and supplies stop coming to schools, students and teachers are frequently compelled to flee. Many individuals were forced to flee their homes due to conflict in the Niger-Delta region, and they now reside in temporary accommodation without access to schools. The ongoing migration hampers education and prevents the construction of new schools. The motivation to go to school and the need for educational advancement wane while the dispute rages on because attention is diverted to finding a solution. Investigating how conflict affects educational output in the Niger-Delta region is the goal of this study.

1.3 AIM OF THE STUDY

The focus of this study was on how conflict affects the productivity of education in the Niger-Delta regions. The investigator demonstrated the underlying cause of the issues and how to successfully stop the problems of the inhumane behaviors taking place in the area, despite the fact that there are numerous reasons and counter-reasons for these conflicts. This study investigated the necessity of such conflicts. As a result, the research looked at:

1. The causes of disputes and their repercussions on the Niger-Delta area of Nigeria’s educational output.

2. The methods that can be used to regulate or control these conflicts so that the Niger Delta region’s educational system can advance.

3. How education might help the Niger-Delta region’s enduring tensions be lessened.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

Throughout the course of the investigation, the following research queries were addressed:

1. Is the unrest in the Niger-Delta region caused by socioeconomic and cultural factors?

2. Is the conflict in the Niger-Delta region caused by political factors?

3. Is the unrest in the Niger-Delta region caused by attitudes?

4. Has the violence had an impact on students’ educational plans in the Niger-Delta region?

5. Is creating jobs in the Niger-Delta region a remedy?

1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES

This study’s findings will help society understand the effects of conflict on educational development and what needs to be done to manage the situation in order for there to be development in society as a whole because it focused on the effects of conflicts on educational productivity in the Niger-Delta region.

Government authorities will become more aware of the value of looking into the suffering of the Niger-Delta people as a result of this research. Additionally, this study will educate and raise awareness among Niger-Delta residents about the negative effects of conflict on the region’s educational growth and production while also offering crucial data to other researchers wishing to carry out similar studies.

1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE

Only Niger-Delta natives, including parents, married people, and single people, who live in the region are included in this study.

1.7 Study limitations

Financial difficulties, a lack of suitable supplies, and a time crunch were the difficulties the researchers faced while conducting the study.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

The terms listed below have operational definitions based on how they were used in the study.

1. Conflict: A conflict is a scenario in which there is a major dispute and argument between individuals, groups, or nations. It is also an issue that has to do with politics, religion, the judiciary, the economy, and other facets of society.

2. Education is a formalized teaching and learning process that often takes place at a school, a college, or a university.

3. Conflict management refers to numerous strategies for resolving conflicts between rival organizations, societies, states, or even entire countries.

4. Adult: An adult is a physically mature individual. A person must also be at least 18 years old to qualify. That is, a person who is at least 18 years old.