Impact of the discovery of crude oil on inter-group relations between Isoko and her immediate neighbours in the western Niger Delta of Nigeria

Abstract

The "invasion" of the western Niger Delta of Nigeria in 1958/1959 by SPDC from their operational base in Port Harcourt, followed by Agip and Gulf later Chevron in their respective leases was the harbinger of immediate and long-term socio-political and economic forces and tendencies for intra and inter-group relations. This article therefore examines the discovery of crude oil petroleum in Isokoland and the nature of intergroup relations it elicited in the western Niger Delta over the years, to ascertain the changing pattern and trends of relationship between the Isoko and her neighbours in postcolonial times up to the twenty-rst century. The article shows that the discovery of crude oil petroleum in the western Niger Delta marked a watershed in the history of intergroup relations in the area.

Keywords: Discovery, Petroleum, Isokoland, Intergroup Relations