FACTS ABOUT NIGER DELTA OF NIGERIA

The Niger Delta has so occupied the local, national and international newsstands for the past 19 years that many people are beginning to think as if it is the only delta in the world. This is not correct as there are several other deltas. A delta is a triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river caused by the tidal currents. Be that as it may, some deltas (i.e. 1,2,4,5 and 10 in Table 1-1) are not in the tropics.  These distinctive characteristics are common to all the deltas of the world.

In this study, we have selected for investigation ten major deltas (wetlands) of the world and their locations are at Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 Major Deltas of the World

S/No	Name of Delta	Location	Size
1.	Mekong Delta	China – Asia	49,520 kilometres
2.	Mississippi Delta	United States of America – North America	3,705 kilometers
3.	Niger Delta	Nigeria – Africa	70,000  square kilometers
4.	Nile Delta	Egypt – Africa	3,349,000 square kilometers
5.	Yangtze Delta	China – Asia	Not available
6.	Pearl Delta	China – Asia	Not available
7.	Okavango Delta	Angola – Africa	16,000 square kilometers
8.	Orinoco Delta	Venezuda – South America	2,140 square kilometers
9.	Mahakam Delta	Indonesia – Asia	Not available
10.	Mackenzie Delta	Canada – North America	1,738  square kilometers

The deltas of the world have been undergoing major socio-economic and political changes since the beginning of the 1970s, but dramatically from 1990s. These changes have fundamental bearings on the environment, institutions, and processes of governance, as well as the security, norms and values of the local communities. The changes equally pose challenging tasks in a variety of ways by raising issues of structural, institutional, legal frameworks, human capacity and infrastructural development, human (social) rights, resource control, and management that make the deltaic regions fragile and volatile. The changes and challenges require strong political will and prudent governance in harnessing the resources of the area and at the same time redressing the problems facing the deltas in the interest of long-term consolidation.

There is no doubt that the greatest problem facing the deltas is that of environment posed by the different terrains and industrialisation programmes. Thus, it has become more and more obvious that a pan delta strategy has to be applied as the problems reveal similarity(Etekpe A, 2007:122). This is important because apart from the Niger Delta that has been in tumult, the present relative peace in the other deltas is not a guarantee that all is well. Pearl delta in Southern China, for example, is described as “notoriously polluted”, and a potential “trouble spot”.

Although much has been written about the Niger Delta, Toby, Gabriel (2008:22-23), a one-time Deputy Governor of Rivers State’s vivid account of it requires rehearsal;

Before the oil, the Niger delta communities existed as autonomous political entities with trade links with European countries. They managed their resources and were their own masters. The Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, the British did not find the political independence of these communities conductive of their quest to establish a foothold in the Atlantic and unfettered trade links with the hinterland. There were great rivalry and competition amongst them.

Toby went further to narrate how the region became one of the most leading slave markets in West Africa. By 1830 when the slave trade was abolished, palm oil and kernel took over. Between 1834 and 1850, the Niger delta exported about 18,000 tonnes of palm oil to Europe and earned £800,000 out of the total £1,500 earned by Africa in the export of oil. Between 1950 and 1960, Niger delta produced over 2,100,000 tonnes of palm oil and 4,654,000 tonnes of palm kernels and exported 233,918 tonnes of palm oil to Europe. Indeed, the Niger delta was dominant in the production of palm oil and kernel that enhanced the wealth of Nigeria. It should be noted that during this period, the region retained all the proceeds and paid appropriate taxes to the federal government as the country applied the principle of derivation.

Palm produce remained one of the foremost foreign exchange earners of Nigeria until 1973 when the country started recording an unprecedented boom in its crude oil trade, thanks to the Arab-Israeli war of that year.

Throughout the 1950s which were the period of self-government under colonial supervision; and the 1960s, the independence years, palm produce generated the country’s revenue among other cash crops.  But by 1973, crude oil started generating far much more revenue than the agricultural products beyond the imagination of the nation’s authorities; cash crop production was neglected as manna was literally falling from heaven.  And since then, crude oil has not ceased flowing.  Why strain yourself to labour on a farm to get money when you can scoop out crude oil, sell it, and make ten times more money than you make from your farm products?  That was the situation.

The production of palm produce and other cash crops was abandoned because of easy money from crude oil.  Trade in palm produce did not dwindle.  It was neglected.  Thus, the Niger Delta region continued to be the economic live-wire of Nigeria from the pre-colonial times to the present era. Paradoxically, the region that has propelled Nigeria to the position of the 7^th largest producers of crude oil in the world remains “poor, backwards and deliberately neglected.” As Adesina, Dabo (2009:1-2), put it, “after 53 years of oil discovery, the region is even more impoverished than before; and the federal government blames oil companies for the Niger Delta crisis….” The crisis or paradox as explained by Moffat and Linden (1995:527), “whereas the Niger Delta is the richest part of Nigeria in terms of natural resources, extensive forests, good agricultural land and abundant fish resources, the region’s potential for sustainable development remains unfulfilled and its future is being threatened by environmental degradation and deteriorating economic conditions which are not addressed by the present policies and actions”. Moffat and Linden concluded that “thirty-nine (now fifty-three) years of oil development have not brought significant benefits to the region.…”

The Gross National Product (GNP) per capita in the Niger Delta is below the national average of USD1.25. Out of the total population of 21 million in 2006, 11.74m were unemployed and over 70 percent were living in rural communities characterised by a lack of development, stagnant agricultural productivity, negligible opportunities, tenuous property rights, and high mortality rate.

Following the foregoing gloomy scenario, the people became restive, and some angry youths resorted to militancy. This degenerated into the proliferation of militant groups that slipped into criminality in form of destruction of oil installations, oil pipeline vandalization, kidnapping, and hostage-taking. As the federal government counter-insurgency failed, President Yar’Adua proclaimed amnesty for the militants and pleaded for a peaceful negotiated settlement of “the Niger Delta Questions” in May 2009.

This study is to apply a pan delta approach to reviewing and recommend proactive strategies that would be adaptable to the deltas of the world. The study is not a rehearsal of existing literature, but a discussion on some of the “unfinished themes” on deltaic regions, with emphasis on the Niger Delta worth pursuing with utmost vigour and dedication. The essence is to enhance the political competence of the local communities and strengthen the capacity of the civil society for the long term consolidation of sustainable development, conflict resolution and peace-building.

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