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THE NIGERIAN STATE AND THE CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABLE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE NIGER
DELTA REGION
BY
IYABRADE IKPORUKPO (Ph.D)
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY, WILBERFORCE ISLAND
BAYELSA STATE
E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT
The Niger Delta region is the bedrock of Nigeria’s crude oil production. The region is prone to developmental challenges and socio-political crisis. This paper examines the nature and character of the Nigerian State that undermine the development of oil producing communities of the Niger Delta. This study in addition to data collected from various sources, relied on data collected through the use of questionnaire administered to respondents from oil producing communities of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers State also referred to as core state of the Niger Delta. Their responses were classified and analyzed in simple percentage, the result indicates that years of state neglect of communities have created dislocations of traditional and social values leading to hostile and tense environment where oil companies operate with fear of the unknown. The paper concludes that the challenges to sustainable peace and development are complex but not insurmountable. It recommends among other that the state should initiate mutual collaborative relationship among the various stakeholders of the oil industry (host communities, oil companies and the Federal Government).

INTRODUCTION
Nigeria is an artificial creation which like most other African states is a product of colonialism (Ayoade, 2000). This fact is central to understanding the country’s government and politics which have been conditioned and bedeviled by various agitations and complains of marginalization, alienation, suppression as well as calls for Sovereign National Conference (SNC) by the various federating units and interest groups.

The Niger Delta region for instance contains a large reserve of crude oil that is driving the Nigerian economy. The area accounts

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