Resource Governance and Protracted Conflict in Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Understanding the Perceptions and Grievances of the People in Oil-Bearing Communities

Since the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists in 1995, Nigeria’s Niger Delta has witnessed conflicts associated with oil production and agitations against oil companies operating in the region. Why did the initial peaceful protests of the oil-bearing communities turn violent? What are the recurring complaints of the people? What roles do the government, and the oil corporations play in the perpetuation of the conflicts? In answering these and related questions, John B. Idamkue explores the deep-seated perceptions and grievances of the oil-producing communities by tracing the history of struggle in the region and eliciting the candid views and perspectives of key community actors and stakeholders using their words and responses in a study that is revealing and insightful. By isolating the six pillars of resource governance, namely, land rights, revenue sharing, relations between oil companies and oil-producing communities, environmental pollution, absence of social amenities, and Nigeria’s political structure, the author shines the bright light on the change in the actors, political institutions, impact of oil production on the livelihood of the people to explain why conflicts linger. Finally, the book argues that the road to resolution passes through the six pillars of resource governance.