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

Chapter II: The Niger Delta Crisis: The Political Economy of Fossil Fuels in
Nigeria
international condemnation by environmentalists and human rights
organizations. Against democratic principles, the government sent
soldiers to maintain peace and order in Odi village in the oil
producing area. This was as a result of incessant clashes between
security forces and bandits. The result of this development was razing
down of the whole village, which aggravated the helpless conditions of
the internally displaced people. Mostly affected were the women and
children exposed to torture and rape in the hands of the Nigerian
soldiers.
In a phantom bid to satisfy the masses in the Niger Delta, Shell
Petroleum in conjunction with the World Bank, initiated a study,
Niger Delta Environmental Survey (NDES). This was to study the
environmental situation in the oil producing areas with special focus
on Rivers, Balyesa and Delta States. Moreover, the act of
vandalization that is prevalent on the oil installations by the oil
companies is equally begging for recognition . The terms of reference
of the study according to Omoweh (1996: 48) "were not to address
land pollution and general degradation of the environment." The
choice of Gamaliel Onosode was an intentional act by the oil
company, Shell, as the industrialist was a regular customer of various
international financial institutions in entrenching underdevelopment
in Nigeria. He was also considered to carry out the $100 million
primary data collection for a foreign consultant to analyze. The choice
of the two companies was not accidental, but because they were
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