CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The Niger Delta regions of Nigeria have in recent years become a hot-bed
of explosive crisis and conflicts that often leave some deaths and mindless
destructions in their wake, all resulting mainly from sour relationship between the
oil producing companies operating in the areas and their aggrieved host
communities.
In fact, according to the public relations manager of Shell Petroleum, N.T. Enyia
(2000:50), “oil Companies” host communities have at sundry times perpetrated
anarchy against them, which range from vandalization of oil industry facilities,
attack on personnel, hostage taking of oil workers, sabotage activities and
destruction of lives and property, resulting from pent-up aggressions and
restiveness that could have been doused by a systematic development strategy”.
On their own part, indigenes of these oil companies’ host communities have
always had a plethora of accusations against the oil companies which range from:
v A mindless exploitation and carting away of their god-given resources,
which accounts for about 90% of the nations revenue, while the area
remains the most backward, under-developed region of the country, with
abject poverty as a constant identity of her people (Ledum Mitee, 2001).
v A heartless degradation of their agricultural lands, and destruction of their
aquatic life, biodiversity and ecosystem, thereby totally denying them of
their traditional occupations of fisheries and farming, which further reduces
them to a life of suffering, penury and indigence (Saro-Wiwa, 1996:5).
v Exposure to inimical health hazards, resulting from environmental pollution
through the release of harmful chemical substances into the atmosphere.
