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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Oil and conflicts in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria: facing the facts |
Authors: | Akpan, Nseabasi S. Akpabio, Emmanuel M. |
Year: | 2009 |
Periodical: | Journal of Social Development in Africa (ISSN 1012-1080) |
Volume: | 24 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 9-35 |
Language: | English |
Notes: | biblio. refs., maps |
Geographic terms: | Nigeria West Africa |
Subjects: | petroleum industry social conflicts hostage taking government policy State-society relationship Economics, Commerce Niger River Delta Region (Nigeria)--Economic conditions Niger River Delta Region (Nigeria)--Social conditions Petroleum industry and trade Conflict management |
Abstract: | The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is the storehouse of Nigeria's crude oil, accounting for approximately 90 percent of the country's revenue and providing more than 90 percent of total exports. Despite this, the people remain poor, marginalized and restive. Resort to conflicts has been taken as the only way of expressing grievances in the oil-rich communities of the region. The conflict situation has been a cause for alarm since 1999, with kidnapping of oil company workers, bombing of oil facilities and confrontation with State law enforcement agents being common occurrences. These happenings have had serious implications for the economy. The authors report on a study which employed interviews and stakeholder meetings and consulted news reports in order to assess issues central to the persistent conflicts in the region. The results indicated that both the government of Nigeria and the oil multinationals have failed to recognize the communities in the Niger Delta as the third stakeholder in the oil industry. The relationship has been characterized by unfavourable State policies, politicking and lack of standard practices and regulatory guidelines for oil company operations. The government of Nigeria has not approached the question of the Niger Delta in an open manner. The study recommends that stakeholder participation/partnership predicated on transparency is a key to the solution of the Niger Delta problem. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract] |