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Abstract:
The Niger Delta is a region that is blessed with resources which seems to have become a curse to the people. Historically, the region has suffered opposition given the resources found in their region as far back the 17th century but the pervasiveness of this opposition is tracked to the oil discovery in Nigeria which is located in the Niger delta region. Oil production has contributed significantly to the growth of Nigeria economy but the Niger Delta region has only benefited marginally from it given the copious Multinational Corporations (MCs) operating in the region. Also, oil revenue to Nigeria government has not been significantly used in developing the Niger delta economy such that poverty rate is high in the region making them among the poorest regions of the world. The fight against this odds has led to the historical Niger Delta struggle and a culture for the control of these resources. This paper thus examined the oil production activities in Nigeria, the impact of oil production on the people, their exertion for resources control, and the corollary of their activities as it relates to oil production in Nigeria. The study showed that the region has been unfavourably affected by crude oil production as the system of governance of common resource control has deprived them of the benefits of oil and has been the root for struggle for the control of the resources in addition to the countless crisis in the region and the country at large. This study therefore argue among others for enforceable laws towards oil spillage and gas flaring control while regional sovereignty should be given to regional located resources.
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