Oil Production And Host Community Relations In Nigeria: The Limits Of The Utilitarian Approach

Abstract

While resource extraction generates enormous revenue for resource-rich
countries such as Nigeria, it could also engender human rights violations in
host communities. This article explores the efficacy of the prevailing utilitarian
approach to oil and gas management in Nigeria. The utilitarian calculus is
applied to Nigeria’s oil and gas management to demonstrate how the utilitarian
theory substantially influences the decisions of the Nigerian government.
Although utilitarianism posits that the happiness of the majority is the primary
objective of governance, this is arguably not a viable reason to violate the
rights of the minority Niger Delta communities for the economic gains of the
majority of Nigerians. As an alternative to the ineffective and unsustainable
utilitarian resource management approach, this article discusses the
importance of the human rights-based approach to resource management.