The Quest for the Attainment of Relative Peace in the Niger Delta

The imperative of natural resources in state-building cannot be overemphasised. While some states within the African continent have maximised their natural resources to build sustainable peace and progress, several other African states are enmeshed in the vicious struggle for resources control leading to a continuous proliferation and resurgence of conflicts of various dimensions and pedigree within these states and Africa in its entirety. Nigeria epitomises the state that has been run down by the negative influence of resource curses. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which houses one of the major natural resources (oil) of the country, has been trapped in an orgy of violent militant extremism and conflict arising from the government's inability to reinvest creditably in the area to cushion the effect of oil exploration and enhance the development of the region. This study unravels the contemporary reality of the Niger Delta crisis. It used key informant interviews to collect data that were thematically analysed. The study found that the crisis in the Niger Delta region is a reaction to long-standing government neglect of the area in the provision of critical infrastructure and necessary social amenities, despite being the major source of governments' revenue. The study also found that the absence of peace in Nigeria's Niger Delta region negatively affects the economic and political developments of the country. Some multi-dimensional peacebuilding strategies and policies that can help attain relative peace in the region were discussed in detail as the way forward.