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

Chapter VI: The Struggle Against Exploitation and Marginalization:
A Historical Survey of and Implication of the Uprisings and Protests in Nigeria’s
Niger Delta
government is being blamed for such criminality some certain class of
people in the Niger Delta have just taken advantage of the situation to
fraudulently enrich themselves by collaborating with government and
the oil companies. In most cases the good intentions of government
are rubbished by them as they fail to deliver to the region what
government had provided fund for. These classes of persons have also
encouraged, supported and assisted criminality and such
perpetuators of the act in the region. This is because they benefit from
the crisis that continue to make them relevant. Unfortunately
government has failed to unmask them or recognize their falsehood
and hypocracy.
The criminals and kidnappers on their own part are making
fortunes out of the act. Putting a stop to it means cutting off their
source of income. This of course they will resist.
The complexity of the situation is that the criminals, the
collaborators who incidentally are closer to government would make
sure that the status quo remains. The crumbs from t he national cake
would go to them. The question then is how do we convince these
fortune hunters to abandon their trade How do you also make
government to ignore them Government should therefore shoulder
the responsibility of creating the complex nature of the Niger Delta
crisis.
Ross (2004) had remarked that mineral-producing countries
have the highest risk of violent conflict when affected peoples have low
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