Routledge Natural Resources, Conflict, and Sustainable Development: Lessons from the Niger Delta: 8 (Routledge African Studies)

The Niger Delta Region has in the past two decades experienced protracted violent conflicts. At the roots of these violent conflicts are the genuine quests of the people for sustainable development that is based on social justice, equity, fairness and environmental protection. Although richly endowed, the region is hopelessly poor. This paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty has been attributed to a myriad of factors ranging from Nigeria’s centralized federalism, to ethno-regional domination, corruption, poor governance, and oil-related environmental degradation. Development in the Niger Delta is vital not only to the stability and prosperity of Nigeria, but also to global energy security. This book provides unique insights into the challenges of development and peace building in the Niger Delta, and insights into other resource-rich but poverty-stricken, conflict-prone regions of the world. Review "Much has been written about the resource curse and the costs of resource-dependency. Natural Resources, Conflict, and Sustainable Development explores the case of Nigeria and the Niger Delta oil-producing region - both typically seen as exemplary cases of failed oil development - in new and compelling ways, and provides a provocative and complex analysis of the complex historical and political forces which have shaped the descent into an oil insurgency. This book contains some of the leading Nigerian commentators and analysts on the Niger delta crisis and offers a magnificent tour d'horizon of the relations between natural resources, violence and human development. An important and path breaking book." –Michael Watts, Class of ’63 Professor, University of California, Berkeley "...this is an important and welcome contribution to the political economy of the Niger Delta area...Further, the historical method used in the book helps to throw light on the centrality of land, its control, use, and distribution, to resource conflict...This book is worth reading." – African Review of Economics & Finance About the Author Okechukwu Ukaga is Executive Director and Extension Professor at the Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership at the University of Minnesota. Ukoha O. Ukiwo is Lecturer in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the University of Port Harcourt. Ibaba Samuel Ibaba is Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Niger Delta University.