The Niger Delta People have a reason to fight
The Niger Delta has long been a crucible of conflict, resentment, and resistance. As someone from Nigeria’s northern region, I confess I once misunderstood the people of the Niger Delta. We were misled to perceive them as greedy, hostile, and unwilling to share “our” collective oil wealth. We believed their struggles were unjustified, their militancy unprovoked. But that belief collapsed when I began to ask difficult questions about the realities of that region—questions born from observing similar patterns of marginalization across the country. Today, I understand that Niger Deltans are not irrational agitators. They are victims of systematic neglect, political oppression, and economic exploitation. What appears to be militancy is a cry for justice that has echoed for decades but fallen on deaf ears. A Region Rich in Oil, Poor in Justice Despite being the economic engine of Nigeria—producing over 80% of the nation’s government revenue—the Niger Delta remains shockingly underdevelo...