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

uild institutions for sustainable human
development;
• governments and communities, and
governments and citizens—to nurture
peace, good government and sustainable
human development;
• communities and oil companies—to
encourage peace and sustainable human
development;
• inter-community—to cultivate peace;
• international actors and communities,
international actors and governments,
international actors and NGOs/community-based
groups—to build peace,
good government and sustainable human
development; and
• NGOs and community-based organizations—to
bolster capacity development
and public monitoring. The outcomes
of partnerships often depend
on the balance of strategic advantages:
Unbalanced relations tend to
produce unbalanced outcomes. In the
Niger Delta, imbalances need to be
redressed in:
• local, state and federal relationships—
by matching tax jurisdictions with responsibilities;
• relationships among the executive
branch, legislature and judiciary—by
limiting the powers of the executive
and strengthening the judiciary and the
legislature;
• government and community relationships—by
changing property rights for
oil and gas resources and land in favour
of citizens and communities;
• community and oil company relationships—by
protecting the rights of citizens;
and
• international actors and communities;
international actors and governments;
international actors and NGOs/community-based
groups—by increasing
transparency and accountability in allocation
of resources and in access to
information.
The challenge is to convince those benefiting
from the status quo that partnerships
can lead to better outcomes for all.
Mutually beneficial compromises could
steer the delta and Nigeria away from repeatedly
suffering failures such as the collapse
of the National Political Reform
NIGER DELTA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Conference, endemic violence, the loss of
lives and property, and the ineffective use
of oil revenues. The key to building partnerships
is to be strategic, which encompasses
the notion that current strategic
advantages do not outweigh the interests
of other people.
The delta’s many stakeholders can be categorized
into broad groups:
• the government and its agencies, including
the Federal Government and
associated statutory agencies, the state
governments, local government authorities
and the NDDC;
• multinational oil and gas companies,
and various industries;
• civil society groups, NGOs and community-based
organizations, including
women’s and youth groups, religious
bodies, various trade associations and
traditional authorities; and
• donor or development assistance
agencies and the international NGOs.
Their willing participation and commitment
could readily stimulate the building of necessary
institutions and sustain enduring
partnerships.
Partnerships for Niger Delta Development
Partnership building should target the following
goals:
Governments
• Coordinate and harmonize development
programmes to avoid duplication,
conflict and waste.
• Plan for sustainable development, and
with the aid of competent facilitators,
advise on appropriate policies for symmetrical
community development and
for training in community development.
• Work towards achieving the MDGs.
• Commit to the judicious use of counterpart
funding, with utmost
accountability and transparency.
• Create and sustain the right environment
for meaningful development that
can sustain the optimal use of the rich
endowment of human and material
capital in the Niger Delta region.
Federal, state and local
governments are central
to partnerships building
and sustenance.
However, they must be
committed to judicious
use of public resources,
pursue participatory
planning and
sustainable development
and be accountable to
the people.
Commitment to
corporate social
responsibilities and
adding value to their
operational environment
are vital. But such
development
interventions should be
demand driven and
linked to government
plans
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