Niger Delta

186 words to inspire you to imagine Nigeria without gas flaring and with a more transparent management of the oil and gas sectors, where communities who own natural resources such as oil, gas or minerals would earn royalties on the exploration of these resources...

Local communities in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta have complained about lack of development projects in their area says a report commissioned by the Heinrich Boell Stiftung (HBS) in Nigeria. “DESOPADEC has not done anything to improve our lives” says a resident of Iwhrekan community in Delta State. The HBS report critically assessed the extent to which Oil and Gas Development Commissions in the Niger Delta have been able to contribute to poverty reduction, livelihood improvement, and economic development in the region.

This study looks at the Oil Commissions in some Niger Delta states, which were set up 10 years ago in order to ensure that the oil wealth trickles down to the communities living in oil producing areas. How is the Commissions’ work impacting on the lives of these communities? Do they work in a transparent manner? What is their self-perception? Uwafiokun Idemudia is Assistant Professor of Development Studies and Director of the African Studies Programme at the York University in Toronto, Canada. He visited the states of Delta, Edo and Ondo in 2011 for this study.