OIL CONFLICT IN NIGER DELTA

In Niger Delta, oil exploration has been marked by protests by the indigenous communities about the negative impact of oil companies, corruption and the failure of oil wealth to be translated into better and decent living conditions. Most recently, armed groups have explicitly sought resource control on behalf of the oil producing communities , and have engage in the oil theft and in acts of violence are sometimes claims as the retribution for the treatment of the people of the Niger delta by the oil companies. The people of 9the oil producing communities of the Niger delta have watched for more than half a century while oil companies, politicians and government officials get rich from the “black gold’’ extracted from their land. But they have seen few if any benefits. Even basic services such as water, sanitation, health centre are lacking in many communities. Many of the development initiative that have been established have been marred by corruption and poor planning leaving behind a trend of half-finished or non –finished project.

Discontent and anger at the lack of benefits from oil extraction is exacerbated by the damage that the oil companies have done in many communities. Widespread environmental damages associated with oil extraction has destroyed livelihood, polluted water, land and undermined health. The same oil extraction generated wealth for the few is deepening the poverty of many. The way in which some oil companies engage with communities are a central part of the problem. A lack of transparency in the award of compensation and clean up contracts has fed inter and intra community tension and conflict. Communities are often seen and treated as a “risk “ to be pacified, rather than as stakeholder with critical concerns about the impact of oil operations. The risk-based approach to communities and youth off, hoping to prevent protests. This has underlined that threat, protests, and violence are ways to access oil money.

Another strategy has been the deployment by government of heavy armed security forces. Protests by local communities about the oil companies (including peaceful protests) and attacks on oil installations by armed groups are frequently met with reprisals characterized by excessive use of force and serious human right violations. Action has rarely been taken to bring to justice members of the security forces who are suspected of being responsible to grave human rights violation in the region. For many communities the contrast between the government’s action to protect the oil companies and the almost total lack of action to protect their human rights reinforces the perception that the government is on the side of the oil companies regardless of the damage they may do.