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ResourceControl,CorruptionandViolence
intheNigerDelta
ChrisAlbin-Lackey
Introduction:Oil’sImpactonNigeria
Nigeria’spost-independencehistoryhasbeenagrimone.In1960,thecountry
waswidelyseenasoneofthemoststable,well-governedandself-sufficientof
Africa’snewly-independentnations.Itseconomywasdiverseandsatonstronger
foundationsthanthoseofothercountriesintheregion,withstrongmanufactur-
ingandagriculturalsectorsthatseemedpoisedforlong-termgrowth.ADecem-
ber1960issueofTimeMagazinelamentedthatnInthehurly-burlyof1960’s
Africanavalancheoffreedom,Nigeria’simpressivedemonstrationofdemoc-
racy’sworkabilityinAfricaistoooftenoverlooked”anddeclaredthatninthe
longrun,themostimportantandenduringfaceofAfricamightwellprovetobe
thatpresentedbyNigeria…Nigerianotonlypreachesbutpracticesthedignityof
theindividual”
1.
Thosesentimentswereexaggeratedeventhen;by1965controversialregional
electionshadlaidbareafarmorefractiousanddisturbingreality,withelectoral
disputesplungingthecountryintobloodyriotsthatclaimedmorethan200lives
andservedasacatalystforthefirstofsixsuccessfulcoupsd’etats
2.Butthefact
remainsthatnoonewoulddescribeNigeriainsuchoptimistictermstoday.Ni-
geriatodayismoreviolent,pooranddysfunctionalthanin1960acrossalmost
everyimportantindex.Realpercapitaincomeislowertodaythanitwasin1960,
andpovertyismorewidespreadandmoresevere.Basichealthandeducation
serviceshavecollapsedacrossmuchofthecountry
3.Morethan11,000Nigeri-
ansdiedinintercommunalandpoliticalviolencebetween1999andtheendof
2006
4.Manyoftheseproblemsaretraceabletocorruptionsowidespreadthatit
hashobbledthecapacityofgovernmentinstitutionstoperformanyusefulfunc-
1TheBlackRock,nTimeMagazine”,December5,1960.
2See,e.g.,L.Garrison,TollExceeds160inNigeriaStrife,nNewYorkTimes”,January13,1965.
3SeeJ.Herskovitz,Nigeria’sRiggedDemocracy,nForeignAffairs”,July/August2007;Hu-
manRightsWatch,ChopFine,pp.40-43;DFID,NigeriaCountryAssistancePlan,2004-2008,
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/nigeria-cap.asp.
4P.Lewis,C.Albin-Lackey,PoliticalandIntercommunalViolenceinNigeria(tentativetitle),
forthcoming.
