Contending Issues in the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria - Journal of ...

Dr. Esekumemu V. Clark
and other minorities in the oil-producing region. Until very recently,
when the ‘on-shore’ and ‘off-shore decree abrogated, it was a political
issue between the executive and legislative arms of the present
administration under President Obasanjo. While commending the
present political leadership that came to power on May 29, 1999, for
implementing the 13 percent derivation fund policy approved by the
Abacha regime for oil producing states, attention should also be
focused on the Niger Delta Development Commission which was set
up by this same administration in 2002. It should be noted that the
activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission are not tuned to
the yearnings of the Niger Delta People for speedy environmental and
human development. The Commission is perceived as an instrument
of distraction aimed at blackmailing the Niger Delta people into
silence while the process of the marginalisation of the oil-producing
minority groups continues. Meanwhile, the aim of the paper is to
explore the case of the marginalisation of the Ijaws in the current
socio-economic and political formation, and the underlying objectives
of the 1998 Kaiama Declaration. The paper sheds some light on the
country’s historical experiences since the 1960’s in order to buttress
our subsequent discussion and understanding of the complex postcolonial
politics in Nigeria.
The Historical Experiences
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