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Niger Delta
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The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil. The area was the British Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 until 1893, when it was expanded and became the Niger Coast Protectorate.
The Niger Delta, as now defined officially by the Nigerian Government, extends over about 70,000 km² and makes up 7.5% of Nigeria’s land mass.
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Encyclopedia
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil. The area was the British Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 until 1893, when it was expanded and became the Niger Coast Protectorate.
The Niger Delta, as now defined officially by the Nigerian Government, extends over about 70,000 km² and makes up 7.5% of Nigeria’s land mass. Historically and cartographically, it consists of present day Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States. In the year 2000, however, Obansanjo's regime expanded its definition to include Abia State, Akwa Ibom State, Cross River State, Edo State, Imo State and Ondo State. Some 31 million people of more than 40 ethnic groups including the Ijaw and Igbo people, speaking some 250 dialects live in the Delta.
The South-South Niger Delta includes Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State, and Rivers State.
Niger Delta Struggle
During colonial period, the core Niger Delta was a part of Eastern Region of Nigeria which came into being in 1951 (one of the three regions, and later one of the four Regions). This region included the people from colonial Calabar and Ogoja Divisions, (see old Calabar Kingdom), the Igbo people, and the Ijaw, with Igbo as the majority and Professor Eyo Ita of Calabar as the head (premier) of the region under NCNC (National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon) as the ruling political party in the region. NCNC later became National Convention of Nigerian Citizens after Western Cameroon decided to cut-away from Nigeria and became a part of Cameroon.
In 1953, the region (eastern region) had a major crisis due to the expulsion of Professor Eyo Ita from office by the majority tribe. Using the platform of the Ibibio Union, the minorities in the region (non-Igbo), mainly people of the old Calabar Kingdom, the Ijaw and Ogoja demanded a state of region of their own, the Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers (COR) state. The struggle for the creation of COR state continued and was a major issue on the status of minorities in Nigeria during debates in Europe for Nigerian independence.
The present South-South political zone seems some-what close to the COR state movement, but not quite as the original COR state would include the Coastal South-South states only; namely: Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State and Rivers State.
A second phase of the struggle saw the declaration of an Independent Niger Delta Republic by Isaac Adaka Boro during Ironsi's administration, just before the Civil war.
During the Nigerian civil war, Southeastern state was created which had the colonial Calabar Division (old Calabar Kingdom), and colonial Ogoja Division, and Rivers State for the other minorities, especially the Ijaw, Ogoni, etc. Southeastern State was renamed Cross River State and was later split into Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State. Rivers State was later divided into Rivers State and Bayelsa State.
Phase three saw the request for justice and the end of marginalization of the area by the Nigerian government with Ken Saro Wiwa as the lead figure for this phase of the struggle. The indigents cried for lack of development even though the Nigerian oil money is from the area. They also complained about environmental pollution and destruction of their land and rivers by oil companies. Ken Saro Wiwa and other leaders were killed by the Nigerian Federal Government under Sani Abacha.
Unfortunately the struggle has gotten out of control and the present phase, the phase four, has become militant in nature. Nigeria needs to stay strong and united and the government needs to help solve the Niger Delta Crisis..
Western Niger Delta
Western Niger Delta consists of the western section of the coastal South-South Nigeria which include Delta and Edo States. The western Niger Delta is an heterogeneous society with several ethnic groups with Ijaw as the majority. Other ethnic groups include Urhobo, Ezon, Isoko, Itsekiri and Ukwuani(Igbo). Their livelihoods are primarily based on fishing and farming. History has it that the Western Niger was controlled by chiefs of five separate powerful nations with whom the British government had to sign separate "Treaties of Protection" with in their formation of "Protectorates" that later became southern Nigeria. The five Chiefs were the Chiefs of Itsekiri, Isoko, Ukwuani, Ijaw and Urhobo.
Eastern Niger Delta
Eastern Niger Delta consists of the eastern section of the coastal South Nigeria which include Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. The Eastern Niger Delta region has the Ijaw (including the Nembe-Brass, Ogbia, Kalabari , Okrika, Ibani and Andoni clans), the Igbo (which consists of the Ikwerre, Ekpeye, Ndoni, Etche, Ndoki, Ogba-Egbema subgroups) and the Ogoni. Others are, the Annang, the Efik-Ibibio, the Oron, the Eket and the Ekoi (Ogoja) people, who are all related with a common language and ancestors.
Nigerian oil
Coincidentally, Nigeria has become Africa's biggest producer of petroleum, including many oil wells in the Oil Rivers. Some 2 million barrels a day are extracted in the Niger Delta. Since 1975, the region has accounted for more than 75% of Nigeria's export earnings. Much of the natural gas extracted in oil wells in the Delta is immediately burned, or flared, into the air at a rate of approximately 70 million m³ per day. This is equivalent to 41% of African natural gas consumption, and forms the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. In 2003, about 99% of excess gas was flared in the Niger Delta. The biggest gas-flaring company is the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd. In Nigeria, “…despite regulations introduced 20 years ago to outlaw the practice, most associated gas is flared, causing local pollution and contributing to climate change.” The environmental devastation associated with the industry and the lack of distribution of oil wealth have been the source and/or key aggravating factors of numerous environmental movements and inter-ethnic conflicts in the region, including recent guerilla activity by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
Oil revenue derivation
Oil revenue allocation has been the subject of much contention well before Nigeria gained its independence. Allocations have varied from as much as 50%, owing to the First Republic's high degree of regional autonomy, and as low as 10% during the military dictatorships.
* State allocations are based on 5 criteria: equality (equal shares per state), population, social development, land mass, and revenue generation.
**The derivation formula refers to the percentage of the revenue oil producing states retain from taxes on oil and other natural resources produced in the state.
Recent destabilisation
Activities of local indigenous people against commercial oil refineries and pipelines have destabilized the region. Recently foreign employees of Shell, the primary corporation operating in the region, were taken hostage by outraged local people. Such activities have also resulted in greater governmental concern with the area, and the mobilisation of the Nigerian army and coastguard into the region.
In April, 2006, a bomb exploded near an oil refinery in the Niger Delta region, a warning against Chinese expansion in the region. MEND stated: “We wish to warn the Chinese government and its oil companies to steer well clear of the Niger Delta. The Chinese government by investing in stolen crude places its citizens in our line of fire.”
Government and private initiatives to develop the Niger Delta region have been introduced recently. These include the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC ), a Government initiative, and the Development Initiative (DEVIN ), a community development non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta. Uz and Uz Transnational , a company with strong commitment to the Niger Delta, has introduced ways of developing the poor in the Niger Delta, especially in Rivers State.
In September 2008, MEND released a statement proclaiming that their militants had launched an "oil war" throughout the Niger Delta against both, pipelines and oil production facilities, and the Nigerian soldiers that protect them. Both MEND and the Nigerian Government claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on one another.
Media
The documentary film, Sweet Crude (currently in post-production), tells the story of Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
Environmental issues
See also
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