Niger Delta Human Development Report - UNDP Nigeria - United ...

Table 7.1: People’s Vision of the Future of the Niger Delta
Per cent of respondents
Land with full employment opportunities 37.8
A fully industrialized region 22.2
A fully developed infrastructure 11.6
Good governance 8.9
Adequate potable water everywhere 6.7
Fully developed roads 5.6
Free from corruption 5.3
Secure and safe region 3.0
100.0
Source: ERML Fieldwork, 2005.
resources is the predominant cause of
most of them. Some conflicts predating
commercial oil and gas exploitation were
largely related to resources, while those connected
to the extraction industry have escalated
phenomenally in the last 10 to 15
years.
All violent conflicts—including inter- or
intra-ethnic conflicts, hostage-taking, blowing
up of pipelines, the occupation of flow
stations, militants’ confrontation of the oil
and gas companies and the government,
and so on—have constrained development
efforts. The UN Secretary-General has
stressed that development cannot proceed
in societies where militancy and conflict are
the order of the day. The lack of development,
however, contributes to the tensions
that result in conflict. This vicious cycle
must be broken to realize the region’s full
development potential.
An appropriate definition of peace in the
Niger Delta comes from Kenneth
Boulding: “On the positive side, peace signifies
a condition of good management,
orderly resolution of conflict, harmony
associated with mature relationships,
gentleness, and love. On the negative side,
it is conceived as the absence of something—the
absence of turmoil, tension,
conflict and war.” The region needs peace
in both senses.
The main goals of the agenda for peace
are to:
• substantially reduce the conflicts in the
region to the barest minimum to attract
private sector investment and enhanced
employment opportunities;
• ensure substantially better manage
NIGER DELTA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT
ment of the resources of the region,
and more equitable distribution of the
benefits of the oil industry;
• promote free and fair elections as the
only legitimate means of accession to
office and respect for the rule of law;
and
• demilitarize and effectively enforce the
law to enhance human security in the
region.
The strategies for achieving these goals are
to:
• assuage grievances for peace-building;
• promote the rule of law and easier
access to justice;
• resolve the revenue allocation impasse
to accord higher value to derivation;
• distribute equitably the benefits from
mineral resources;
• demilitarize the region; and
• ensure effective law enforcement and
policing.
These are elaborated below.
GOAL 1: Assuage Grievances for
Peace-Building
Peace-building in the Niger Delta region is
a continuous process. But a new urgency
has arisen along with the frequency and
seriousness of conflicts. Governments and
oil companies need to demonstrate their
strong commitment to addressing people’s
perceived grievances. The accelerating
tempo of conflicts is resulting in huge economic
and social costs—including the loss
of revenues due to petroleum and gas line
blow-ups, the trauma of hostage-taking and
the reversal of human development gains.
One good initiative already in place is the
All violent conflicts
constrain development.
In the delta, peace is
the one agenda with a
universal appeal.
There is an urgent need
for a strong coordination
and control of
development efforts
among the states, local
governments, oil
companies and the
NDDC.
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