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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 9, No. 11

Publication Date: November 25, 2022

DOI:10.14738/assrj.911.13291. Chidiobi, O. C., & Ibekwe J. C. (2022). Oil Exploitation, Environmental Issues and Resource Curse in a Post-Colonial Niger Delta

Region of Nigeria: The Unending Search for Peace, 1960-2009. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(11). 373-394.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Oil Exploitation, Environmental Issues and Resource Curse in a

Post-Colonial Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: The Unending Search

for Peace, 1960-2009

Chidiobi, Okechukwu Christian

Department of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic Ohodo

Enugu state, Nigeria

Juliet Chinenye Ibekwe

Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Faculty of Environmental sciences, University of Nigeria Nnsuka (UNN)

Enugu Campus, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The issues surrounding the conflict in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria can never be

over-flogged. It is no doubt that so much have been written in this regard, with each

paper proffering a possible solution or adding to the numerous suggestions and

recommendations already on ground. In spite of these however, the quest for peace

has remained elusive or unending because the government and her counterpart

multinational oil companies seem not to have really made a genuine or sincere

efforts in addressing the myriad of teething issues that have generated conflict in

the region ever since the discovery and exploitation of oil. There is therefore the

need for a lasting peace and permanent solutions to all the areas of conflicts. If not

the situation of the region shall continue to attract comments from scholars,

relevant authorities, public affairs commentators, social analysts and concerned or

interested opinions. It is thus on this note that this paper comes in handy as modest

but useful contribution of the authors to the litany of extant literatures on the

lingering conflicts in the region. It is worthy of note that the post-colonial Niger

Delta region has never known peace ever since the oil exploitation began in

commercial quantity in 1950. The Hobbesian state has almost become the order of

the day. Despite the fact that over 90% of the country’s revenue (GDP) is being

generated by oil exploitation from the region, the greater majority of the people are

still languishing in squalor, in addition to large scale unemployment as well as lack

of basic life infrastructural facilities. These obvious denials in the midst of

abundance resources coupled with environmental related issues of degradations

have been fundamental causes of conflict between the people and the government

on one hand, and between the people and the oil extracting companies on the other

hand. In view of this ugly development, it is therefore apparent that the gift of oil is

now more like a curse than the earlier perceived blessings to the people ofthe Niger

Delta. This study thus examined all the series of failed efforts made by Nigerian

government to broker a lasting peace in the region starting from 1960 when the

Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB) was established through the

recommendation of Sir Willinik Commision of 1957, down to the “Amnesty

Program” granted by late president Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s administration in 2009

which led to a large number of the militants numbering 26,808 surrendering their