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

Dr. Lere Amusan
the cataclysm that is building up in the delta be
avoided."
One major problem associated with this demand is the question of
who should represent the masses in the oil companies. Is it the
traditional chiefs or the contractors who were elite or the
retired/serving military officers who did not know the problem faced
by the rural poor in the oil-bearing areas An answer to this, as
discussed above, begs for rigorous academic scrutiny. A few Niger
deltans that were able to receive western education were able to
secure job with government at the federal, state and local government
levels. Because of the arrangement and unwritten understanding
between the major oil companies and the community leaders,
cronyism continues to be the order of the day. Uneducated youths are
not qualified to go into oil business either as member of the Boards or
as managers. They are not qualified to export oil because of the
financial commitment and possible government connection.
After Ken Wiwa was hanged, it was the opinion of the oil companies
and the federal government that instability in the Niger delta would be
at bay; most especially with the option of going into exile by some of
the leaders of MOSOP. Contrary to this, Mittee Ledum’s forceful exit
from Nigeria was a continuation of attacking the federal government
and the Shell oil companies. After November 1995, Shell faced series
of international condemnation from Scandinavian states and South
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