Enhancing stakeholder participation in the Niger Delta region: the potential contributions of the ILO convention 169

Abstract

Nigeria’s indigenous people, found in the Niger Delta area, have for many years experienced developmental challenges associated with oil exploration. The region has been perennially engulfed in various forms of agitation pertaining to self-government and resource control. Over the years, attempts to solve these problems have been merely palliative, basically due to local stakeholders’ perception that they are excluded from decision making about the issues that affect their existence. For many years, the Nigerian government has grappled unsuccessfully with the challenge of fostering broad-based participation and stakeholder engagement in the Niger Delta. This article contends that the problems which have arisen can be addressed through the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169 by the Nigerian government. Owing to a recent constitutional alteration in Nigeria, the ILO Convention 169 will not require domestication, arguably, making it a ready and viable toolkit for the progressive realization of participatory rights in the Niger Delta.

Keywords: Niger Delta, ILO, constitution, human rights, pollution, participation.