Militancy and Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta: Excerpts from the Fourth Republic

Abstract

The resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and Delta State in particular has reached a seemingly high level, which has contributed to the crumbling economy of Nigeria as these series of attacks on oil facilities have reduced the barrel production of crude oil per day in the region. This has posed an imminent threat with the ongoing economic meltdown in the country. The identified reasons have been the cutbacks on the amnesty arrangements, the environmental degradation and continuous deprivation of the oil rich regions from the proceeds of the oil derived from their region and demand for ownership of the region by residents which has affected sustainable development in Delta state. This work however, through the means of empirical study, pinpoints the several reasons for the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta region and its effect on sustainable development in Delta state and the viability of the group’s bluff in crippling the Nigerian economy. The Study is anchored on the frustration Aggression theory and adopted the primary method of data collection. The study recommends some viable solutions amongst which are; giving more credence to the importance of Niger Delta region, developmental projects that are supervised by stakeholders and disinterested organizations in the region and Delta state in Particular.

Keywords: Militancy, Sustainable Development, Security