VICENT UBAH, Emphasise on Conflict Resolution, Security, Peace and Justice in Niger Delta and many other emphasis.
VICENT UBAH, on 3rd of October 2019, Emphasise on Conflict Resolution, Security, Peace and Justice in Niger Delta, he also lamented on infrastructural negligent in some communities in Niger Delta Despite oil exploration in those areas.
In the recent times issues of the Niger Delta has been on the front burner of Nigeria's political history. In defining the
geographical Niger Delta: it is essential to note that the rivers discharging Niger-Benue waters into the
sea are Rivers forcados, marking the Western boundary of Bayelsa State, and St. Nicholas and Santa Barbara on
the eastern margins, through Rivers State into Akwa-Ibom, which have been part of the Region. These states can be classified as the geographical Niger Delta. the political Niger Delta was expanded to form the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC. This includes the following states: Abia, Akwa-Ibom,
Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Rivers and Ondo. Thus, this is situated within the geographical
Niger Delta.
desperately in need of development, in terms of basic infrastructural facilities like portable water, electricity, good
roads and employment opportunities. Environmental and water pollution from drilling activities, pipeline
vandalization and gas flaring are peculiar hazards in the region. This has drastically reduced aquatic life, the main
source of livelihood of the inhabitants of the region. Ecological problems include pollution occasioned by oil spillage,
sandy, porous and salty soil, too much rainfall, agricultural land degradation, fishereies depletion, biodiversity loss, water
hyacinth proliferation and coastal erosion.
The multi-national oil companies like Shell (SPDC), Chevron, Elf, Mobil, Texaco, Agip, etc, operating in
the Niger Delta have done very little in the area of developing the place in terms of provision of infrastructural
facilities and human resources development. Most of the companies mentioned above are not on the ground in
the rural and riverine communities where oil is drilled. They just come and go back to the few urban and already
developed cities like Port Harcourt, Warri and Eket where they have offices without establishment of their
presence in any form in the rural communities. Consequently, the rural communities become antagonistic and
resort to conflicts.
In as much as there is unemployment and other means of livelihood has been destroyed, the youth who are eager to work resort to other rival means of survival.
Hence' crime cannot be completely eradicated but can be managed.
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