Swamped with Poverty and Agony Oil Exploration and Unemployment of the Natives in the Niger Delta

Abstract

Oil exploration by multinational oil corporations in Niger Delta host communities has resulted in environmental deterioration with adverse effects for the residents. This degradation accelerated the demise of the ecology and farmlands, which are the indigenous' primary source of income. This has occasioned mass poverty in the midst of plenty in the region. Arising from persistent agitations by the inhabitants of the oil-bearing communities for redress, various intervention measures have been adopted by both the federal government and the oil companies. This paper is an evaluative study of the impact of those measures on the incidences of poverty and unemployment in the region.  The study adopted the dependency theory as its framework of analysis. The data were gathered through the documentary method and were analyzed using content analysis based on logical deduction. It found that in spite of the various interventions by the federal government and the oil companies the negative consequences of oil extraction in the Niger Delta, unemployment and high poverty level have continued undiminished. The paper advocated for an integrated community-based approach that would include stakeholders’ commitment to enhance their strategies and establish contingency plans to deal with oil spills and follow ecologically friendly safety measures during oil exploration.