Human Security In The Niger Delta: Exploring The Interplay Of Resource Governance, Community Structure And Conflicts

Abstract

Prior to August 2009, the Niger Delta region of Nigeria witnessed widespread
violent conflicts between the government, multinational oil corporations
(MNCs) and militant groups. This conflict was widely attributed to deplorable
human security, which deprived the indigenes of the region access to their
sources of livelihoods due to pollution, by MNCs. In 2009, the government
granted amnesty to thousands of ‘repentant militants’ and this programme
has achieved mixed results. This article will explore the impact of human
security on the outbreak of violence in the Niger Delta and the impact of the
Amnesty Programme in addressing issues relating to human security. The
article concludes that bottom-up community-driven initiatives offer the best
approach to address human security issues in the Niger Delta. The article is
based on an ethnographic research carried out in 2013 in three states in the
region (Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states).