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

Contending Issues in the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria
Chapter I:
Understanding the Niger Delta Conflict:
Matters Arising
By Dr. Victor Ojakorotu and Olaopa Olawale
Besides the period of colonial servitude, modern Nigerian political
history began on the 1 st of January 1914 with the amalgamation of
the Northern and Southern protectorates (Akindele and Uwazomba,
forthcoming). The fragility of the nation’s take-off, as the historical
antecedent, created Nigeria’s socio-economic, cultural and political
woes. Since then, the situation of Nigeria and Nigerians has largely
remained that of a “fowl” and the “rope” which is always tensionridden
(Ibid). In other words, the Nigerian historical developments are
better explained by the adage that says “when a fowl perches on the
rope, it and the rope automatically become unsettled” (Ibid). This
largely remains so till this moment in Nigeria’s history as the various
events portend particularly in the Niger Delta region.
A cursory analysis of all available data reveals a disturbing picture of
the country that after four decades of independent existence or
freedom from colonialism it has not known socio-political, religious
and economic tranquility. One wonders why this remains to be so.
The situation has been so disturbing to the extent that the Nigerian
state as a phenomenon has become, according to Akindele and
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