REASSESSING THE NIGER DELTA CRISIS: POLITICAL ROOTS AND SOCIOECONOMIC REALITIES

Abstract

This study was designed to systematically appraise the Niger Delta crisis in Nigeria and to propose possible solutions. Employing library research and content analysis methodologies, the paper examined in a structured manner the core issues underlying the conflict—viewed from the perspectives of the Nigerian state, the Niger Delta communities, and the oil companies operating in the region. The paper identified and analyzed the major challenges posed by the crisis to the Nigerian state. It concluded that, despite the ongoing deterioration of the crisis into anarchy, terrorism, and escalating criminality—exacerbated by the militarization of the region by the Nigerian state—the conflict remains resolvable through peaceful means. The study recommended, among other things, that a strong governmental commitment to infrastructural development and an emphasis on corporate social responsibility by oil companies are essential to achieving lasting peace and stability in the Niger Delta.