Geographically speaking, many authorities have described the Niger Delta, an oil rich and volatile region of Nigeria as a vast system of wetlands and forests, and low lying alluvial islands and barrier reefs that sprawl across Nigeria's southernmost reaches. It serves as the discharge basin for the River Niger into the Atlantic Ocean.
The region is in the South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria, comprising nine States- Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Ondo. It produces about 95% of Nigeria’s wealth, yet it remains largely underdeveloped. Years of oil exploration have turned it into a barren wasteland with attendant consequences of environmental degradation, frequent oil spills which have polluted their waters with the people eating contaminated fish, farming on spoiled land and breathing in highly polluted water resulting in abject poverty, under development, lack of potable water, etc, all of which have provoked agitations since the days of Isaac Borro in the 60’s through Ken Saro Wiwa in the 90’s till the current raging militancy which the Nigerian Government has again and again tried to crush without success.
As well as using iron hands, the Nigerian Government has also held out an olive branch to the “warring” militants and given “carrots” which has accompanied the recent amnesty granted them. And also in the past, the Government had initiated economic and social development programmes such as Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and most recently, the establishment of the Niger Delta Ministry to address the problems and redress the injustice. But none of these has met the people’s expectations and yielded Government’s desired objectives due to official corruption and poor funding.
- John Aduma
- Nigeria Watch International
- Posted On