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ResourceControl,CorruptionandViolenceintheNigerDelta
17
whohaveconstructedelaborateandwellthought-outtheoriesofpreciselyhow
thecountryshouldbegoverned.Itisalsoacountrythatseemedpoisedtode-
velopaneconomythatwasdiverseandrobustcomparedtothoseinotherparts
ofAfricaatindependence.YetNigeriahasfallenvictimtothenresourcecurse”
ascompletelyasanyothercountryintheworld.
IfNigeriahascometoepitomizetheresourcecurseinAfrica,thecountry’s
NigerDeltaregionhascometoexemplifythehumancostofthencurse”within
Nigeria.ThevastmajorityofNigeria’soilrevenuesarederivedfromfouroil
producingstatesintheNigerDelta-Rivers,Delta,BayelsaandAkwaIbom(Nige-
riahas36Statesintotal).ButcommunitiesintheNigerDeltahavelongbeen
amongthemostimpoverishedandthoroughlyneglectedinNigeriawhileatthe
sametimehavingtobeartheimmediatecostsoflivingalongsidetheoilindustry.
ThepovertyandabuseenduredbytheDelta’sinhabitantsunderthemilitary
governmentsthatruledNigeriapriorto1999becamesomethingofaninterna-
tionalcausecélèbre.Thenon-violentprotestsmovementledbyKenSaro-Wiwa
andhisMovementfortheSurvivaloftheOgoniPeople(MOSOP)attractedworld-
wideattentiontotheDelta’sstarkinequitiesandtothecomplicityofmultina-
tionaloilcompaniesinfuelingthatsuffering.AndSaro-Wiwa’shangingin1995
afterashamtrialhelptomakedictatorSaniAbachaintooneoftheworld’smost
widely-reviledleaders.
Nigeria’sFourthRepublic
MilitaryruleendedinNigeriain1999whenthecountryreturnedtocivilian
rulefollowingthecontroversialelectionofex-dictatorOlusegunObsanjoasPresi-
dent.IntheDeltaandinNigeriaasawhole,manyhopedandbelievedthatthe
returntocivilianrulewouldmeanabetterstandardofliving,respectforhuman
rightsandavoiceinthepoliticalsystem.Thishasnotcometopass.
AcrossNigeria,governmentundercivilianrulehasremainedwhollyunac-
countabletothecountry’spopulation.Notonlyhavenationwidepollsheldin
1999,2003and2007beenriddledwithviolenceandfraud,buteachelectionhas
beenbloodierandmorebrazenlyriggedthanthelast
10.The2007polls,which
producedthecurrentgovernmentsatthefederalandstatelevels,wereuniver-
sallycondemnedbyforeignanddomesticmonitorsasentirelylackingcredibility.
HumanRightsWatchestimatesthatmorethan300peoplediedinelection-related
violence,andelectiondayitselfsawgangsofthugshiredbytherulingparty
10Seeforexample,CarterCenterandNationalDemocraticInstituteforInternationalAffairs,
Observingthe1998-1999NigeriaElections:FinalReport,November1999;EuropeanUnion
ElectionObservationMission(EUEOM),FinalReportontheNationalAssembly,Presidential,
GubernatorialandStateHousesofAssemblyElections,2003;EuropeanUnionElectionObserva-
tionMission(EUEOM),StatementofPreliminaryFindingsandConclusions,April23,2007,
http://www.eueom-ng.org.
