Marginalization and Youth Unrest in the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of Study
The central focus of this study is to examine how political, economic environment and other issues which encompasses marginalization, which mainly evolves as a result of oil exploration of multi-national companies constitute the basis of youth/military restiveness, resource conflicts and attendant violence in the Niger-Delta. Also, the study will examine the effects and possible solutions to the youth unrest in the Niger-Delta.
The study will also focus on how efficient the oil companies and Government agencies alleviate the suffering of the people in terms of provision of social amenities.
The followings are the specific purposes of this study:
1) To find out the factors responsible for youth restiveness, terrorism and militancy in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.
2) To find out the perceived effects of youths restiveness, terrorism and militancy in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.
3) To find out the techniques for curbing or ameliorating youth restiveness, terrorism and militancy in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
The literature review is existing literature on the subject matter for study. Therefore for a student to present a research work, the student has already ascertain the problem areas he/she is going to work on.
According to Odo (1992) “One of the surest ways a researcher can get acquainted with his/her study is through literature review”. Thus, for a clear understanding of this study, the researcher will review related literature along the following titles.
The concept of ethnic militia impact of the crisis on the economy educational implication of the crisis efforts of government towards the crisis.
Factors responsible for the Niger Delta crisis. The discovery of oil in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region in 1957 triggered a chain of events that has led to the political and economic marginalization of the inhabitants. Indeed, it has been argued that oil has been more of a curse than a blessing to the people who have been at the receiving end of horrendoles government oppression and brutality, often resulting in fatalities. Despite forty years (40years) of oil production and hundreds of billions of dollars of oil revenue, the local people remain in abject poverty without even the most basic amenities such as water and electricity. Although the Niger Delta has a long history of violence, the situation has gone from bad to worse to disastrous recently to the emergence of armed militant groups willing to kill as apart of their campaign for greater share of the regions oil wealth.
The campaign for fair deal or control of the oil wells by the people did not start today, it started in 1966 when Isaac Adaka Boro led a rebellion with his Delta volunteer service (DVS) against the federal government and formed the Niger Delta Republic. However, the rebellion was crushed, but it has brought consciousness into the minds to the people. The spirit and consciousness to bring to the international level, the suffering and deprivation of the people of the Niger Delta was championed by Ken Sgro-wiwa in the 90s. He applied peaceful, non-violent means reminiscent of the strategy and tactics of mahatma Ghandi. He aimed to redress the political and socio-economic wrongs imposed on the Niger Delta people. He was tenacious and determined in pursuit of emancipatory ideals through the platform of the movement for the emancipation of the Ogoni people (MOSOP), which he founded in 1992 with other likeminds. The government of General Sanni Abacha and the oil companies were not comfortable with the activities of Saro-wiwa and his movement. In no time, Saro Wiwa was accused of inciting members of MOSOP to kill four Ogoni elders. He and eight other fellow compatriots were arranged for trial, in a military tribunal set up by the despotic and repressive government of General Sanni Abacha for the murder of the four Ogoni, convicted and hanged in November 1995. However, his more likely crime” is his effort to organize the Ogoni ethnic minority to stop destruction of their homeland caused by operations of shell and chevron, the multinational oil companies, and seek compensation for his people’s lost farmland and fisheries. A decade after the hanging, the potential consequences of the Niger Delta conflict have escalated in both human and economic terms. Various militants group have sprung up of recent to undermine the activities of the oil companies using different methods and tactics thereby daring the Nigerian state. Prominent among such groups are the movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the Niger Delta people volunteer force (NDPVF) the joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) and movement of the survival of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality. (MOSIEN). Different reasons have been given as the rasion d’etre of the Niger Delta crisis, it is germane at this juncture, to examine the historical and societal underpinning of the growing insurgency. The factors responsible for the crisis are discussed below.
Structural Deficiency of the Nigeria Federation: it has always been discussed at fora, both national and international, that one of the factors responsible for the Niger Delta crisis is the structural injustices that led to the marginalization of the Niger Delta region in the Nigeria federation. Historically, the Nigerian federation has been dominated by three large ethnic groups the Yoruba, Igbo and the Hausa-Fulani.
The British colonial government exploited this situation by ruling through the existing aristocracy, thereby reinforcing the historical imbalances already present.
The post-colonial history of Nigeria has been marked by massive instability including a number of military coup d’ etats as a result of conflict between these three groups. The smaller ethnic groups in the Niger Delta have been systematically excluded from positions of power. Further more, under the 1999 constitution, mineral rights in Nigeria are held by the federal government, a structure which has been unresponsive to the Niger Delta grievances.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
One thousand six hundred and ninety (1690) undergraduate students of Niger Delta University formed the population of the study.
SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION
A study sample is simply a systematic selected part of a population that infers its result on the population. In essence, it is that part of a whole that represents the whole and its members share characteristics in like similitude (Udoyen, 2019). In this study, the researcher adopted the convenient sampling method to determine the sample size.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered.
Research Question 1: What are the factors responsible for youth Restiveness, Terrorism and Militancy in the Niger Delta Regions of Nigeria?
From table 1, the results show that all the perceived factors are truely responsible causes of youth restiveness, terrorism and militancy in the Niger Delta Regions of Nigeria. The items are 8, 3, 19, and 2 in chronological order are the major causes of youthful restiveness, terrorism and militancy in the Niger Delta Regions of Nigeria. These are unemployment (93.5%), poverty and corruption (91.7%), and bad governance (81.7%). However, the least of these factors is imbalance reporting by mass media (49.7%).
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
The causes of Youth Restiveness, Terrorism and Militancy in the Niger Delta Areas of Nigeria have been unfolded by this study from the perceptions of the undergraduates of the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State. All these were caused by the actions and inactions of the governments, individuals and groups in governance. The impending doom is the imminent collapse of the country’s economies, politics and social wellbeing of Nigeria. The way out is to admonish all well- meaning Nigerians (Youths and government) to embrace peace and harmony, while those in power should urgently address the necessary solutions recommended in the study.
Recommendations
* The federal government should take positive steps toward addressing poverty in the country, honestly.
* Steps should be taken to ameliorate the issues of high prices of essential commodities such as electricity bills, fuel pump prices, rents, housing problem, etc.
* Counselling services should be made available to youths in schools and out of schools.
* Casson in collaboration with the government should promote family and community counselling.
For national peace and cohesion, the following services should be made available:
1) Undertaking leadership training for youths from different religions, backgrounds, faith and ethnicities should be addressed.
2) Organising short-term residential camps for our Restive youths, Terrorists and Militants.
3) For national integration, multicultural activities should be organised.
4) Promoting inter-state youths programmes like football, athletics, etc
5) Symposia and seminars on national integration should be organised.
* For peace and orderliness to reign in Nigeria, job creation must be given a priority for our idled millions of youths.
* Churches, Mosques and religious bodies should admonish their followers to preach peace which is their onerous goal.
* Our school curriculum at all levels should imbibe moral and peace education in their syllabi for our youths to be reformed.
* The national anthem and pledge should not be recited and sang for singing sake. Their messages should be internalized and practiced in our daily lives, especially by the youths.
* Finally, our complex and heterogeneous societies and ethnicities, peaceful co-existence should be practiced by our teeming youths to foster unity in the country.
Implication for Counselling
The youths with this trio-evils need professional counsellors to be able to overcome. These professionals must take the bull by the horn and save Nigeria from collapse due to the evils of Youth Restiveness, Terrorism and Militancy.
Therefore, family and community counselling centres should be set up in the Niger Delta Regions, so as, to avert these evils. Above all, the mother body of the counsellors (CASSON) should put up bills to enable the government to empower them to reach out to these Restive, Terrorist and Militant groups in the Niger Delta Regions of Nigeria for the interest of political and economic peace.
References
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- Chukwuemeka, E.E.O. and Agbara, V.N.O. (2007). Niger Delta Youth Restiveness and Socio- Economic Development of Nigeria. Educational Research Review, Vol 5 (7) 400-407.
- Elegbeleye, S.O. (2005). Recreational Facilities in Schools: A Panacea for Youth Restiveness. Journal of Human Ecology, 18 (2) 93-98.
- Enueme, C.P. and Onyeme, V. (2010). Youth Restiveness in the Niger Delta of Nigeria: Implications for Education. European Journal of Social Sciences. 5 (2) 286-296.
- [Maciver, J.E. (2019). The Impact of Rational Emotive Behaviours Therapy on Niger Delta University Students’ Irrational Thoughts and Feelings: A Panacea for Youth Restivenss, Terrorism and Militancy in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria. Niger Delta Journal of Vocational and Business Education, 1 (1) 28-37.
