Amnesty, Patriarchy and Women: The ‘Missing Gender’ Voice in Post-conflict Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

On 25 June 2009, the Federal Government of Nigeria declared amnesty for all armed groups fighting against the Nigerian state and oil producing  companies in the Niger Delta region. The amnesty project spelt out a triple program of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of the  militant groups. In other words, the program was designed to end the conflict and reintegrate the militants into the society through an economic  empowerment process. While the amnesty program was hailed as “reconciliatory”, “compensatory” and a “sustainable solution” towards achieving lasting  peace in the restive region, the program seems to benefit only men who constitute the bulk of the militants and their commanders. It does not take into  consideration the socio-ecologic and economic losses suffered by women throughout the course of the struggle. This paper asks: where are the women?  Is the amnesty program an empowerment project or an entrenchment of patriarchy in the Niger Delta region? Using both primary and secondary  sources, this article examines these questions as a way of understanding government’s amnesty policy and its gender dynamics.