Niger Delta Research Digest (NDRD)
A peer-reviewed academic journal published by
The Institute for Niger Delta Studies (INDS)
Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island
P.MB.071, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
ISSN: 2141-1468 | Website: ndrdjournal.org | Tel: +234 (806 476 1059)
Current Issue: Special Issue No. 3 (2025)
Table of Contents
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Oil, Environment, and Lifeworlds in the Niger Delta
Jackson Tamunosaki Jack; Lasisi Raimi; Jabulani Shaba; Iva Peša
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Oil Spills and Community Compensation Claims in Nigeria: The Bodo Community Experience (2008-2015)
Lawrence Barinem Dube
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Artisanal Crude Oil Refining and Social Dynamics: Implications for Environmental Sustainability
Clinton Areprekumor and Iti Orugbani
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Livelihoods Crisis and Emerging Adaptation Strategies in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region
Joseph Paulinus Ekong
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Ecological Changes and Emerging Patterns of Consumption in Oil-bearing Communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State
Elliot A. Sibiri, Benjamin Joffa, and Endurance Uzobo
Special Issue No. 3
Niger Delta Research Digest
NIGER DELTA RESEARCH DIGEST
NIGER DELTA RESEARCH DIGEST SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 3, 2025. ISSN: 2141-1468
Read IssueRecently Published Articles
The Niger Delta Environmental Advocacy Strategy in the Drive for International Oil Companies Divestment: An Empirical Review
Anderson Samasi
The importance of the oil and gas industry to the Nigerian economy cannot be overemphasised, even though ethical and environmentally friendly practices were exchanged for financial gain. Massive oil spills are among the most significant impacts on the ecology and living conditions of the people in the Niger Delta, where the Nigerian oil industry operates. This article aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by examining the current state of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta caused by oil exploration and production, assessing the environmental litigation records of international oil companies (IOCs) operating in the region, and highlighting the successful case studies of environmental advocacy that have engendered corporate divestment or significant policy changes. Relying on secondary data, the study concludes that the Niger Delta has suffered decades of environmental degradation, primarily due to recurrent and large-scale oil spills, while remediation efforts have remained relatively slow and inadequate in terms of implementation. The litigation history of IOCs, resulting from the massive degradation of the environment linked to their operations in the region, is known to be a major contributor to the current wave of asset divestment. Ogoni, in Rivers State, stands out as a major example where successful environmental advocacy has led to both asset divestment and meaningful policy changes.
Oil Spills and Community Compensation Claims in Nigeria: The Bodo Community Experience (2008-2015)
Lawrence Barinem Dube
Environmental justice struggles have remained a dominant feature of civic action and political engagement by oil-impacted communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, particularly in their interface with the Nigerian state and oil multinational corporations (IOCs). While most of the confrontations between oil communities, NGOs, and community-based social movements have been informed by nonviolent protests and campaigns, efforts to pursue legal avenues in order to make the Nigerian state and oil corporations accountable have been limited. This is as a result of the weak judicial setting and loopholes in Nigerian environmental torts that make it problematic to bring the state and corporations to justice. This trend changed when, with the support of national and international NGOs, the people of Bodo community in Ogoni sued Shell in a United Kingdom court and got compensated for two massive oil spills that ravaged the community in 2008 and 2009. This paper examines the Bodo oil spills, their environmental impacts, and the resilience of the Bodo people in demanding accountability and environmental justice through litigation. It argues that the payment of monetary compensation is not sufficient for the massive environmental losses suffered by the community in the face of two massive oil spills. Hence, the success of the Bodo oil spill case is not sufficient to claim that justice has been procured for the community. Although real justice may not have been achieved from the Bodo oil spill case, the paper argues that it has nonetheless inspired other communities to pursue their environmental justice claims against Shell in foreign jurisdictions.
Oil, Environment, and Lifeworlds in the Niger Delta
Jackson Tamunosaki Jack; Lasisi Raimi; Jabulani Shaba; Iva Peša
This Special Issue is the product of selected papers from the conference Oil, Environment, and Lifeworlds in the Niger Delta: Environmental History Approaches, held in July 2024 at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The conference was organised under the research project Environmental Histories of Resource Extraction in Africa (AFREXTRACT), funded by the European Research Council. While more than 30 papers were presented at the conference, the ones included in this Special Issue have been through a rigorous peer review process, ensuring their high quality. They offer significant knowledge on how oil extraction impacts the environment and how the inhabitants of the Niger Delta region recreate their lifeworlds amidst increasingly precarious ecological conditions.
Artisanal Refining of Crude Oil, Human Security, and Alternative Livelihood Outcomes in Obhan-Emeyal (Kolo Creek) Area of Ogbia LGA in Bayelsa State
Weni Kokinobo Igirigi and Elliot A. Sibiri
This study examines government efforts to curb oil bunkering in the Kolo Creek axis of Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. Driven by poverty, unemployment, and marginalisation, artisanal oil refining has persisted despite severe environmental and security risks. Drawing on the assumptions of the Relative Deprivation Theory, this study examines how perceived economic exclusion fuels resistance to government interventions. A descriptive phenomenological methodology was adopted, employing in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews to collect data from participants in Otuegwe II, Ibelebiri, and Oruma communities. Findings reveal that although military interventions disrupt illegal refining, they also exacerbate human insecurity, deepen economic distress, and upscale community distrust. Participants reported increased violence, displacement, and theft following the cessation of oil bunkering, with some youths turning to palm kernel oil production as an alternative means of livelihood. However, the economic hardship and lack of sustainable opportunities have made the allure of illegal refining enduring. The study recommends a shift from militarised responses to community-driven solutions. Government and stakeholders should prioritise sustainable livelihood programmes, such as agriculture, aquaculture, and value chains for palm kernel oil, to address root causes of poverty and unemployment. Meaningful community engagement and infrastructural development are critical for achieving long-term success in eradicating oil bunkering.
Ecological Changes and Emerging Patterns of Consumption in Oil-bearing Communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State
Elliot A. Sibiri, Benjamin Joffa, and Endurance Uzobo
While existing studies have examined how anthropogenic activities have engendered environmental changes, relatively little scholarly energy has gone into understanding how these changes are reshaping emerging consumption patterns in oil-bearing communities, which were once characterised by traditional adaptation strategies. This study examines ecological changes and emerging patterns of consumption in oil-bearing communities within Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA), Bayelsa State. The study is anchored on the Ecological Modernisation Theory and the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework. A phenomenological qualitative design was employed, using a purposive sample of participants in five selected clans in the study area. 10 key informant interviews (2 from each community) were conducted with community leaders. 10 in-depth interviews (2 from each community) were conducted with farmers and fishermen. Furthermore, hunters and farmer groups participated in focus group discussions (1 for each community). The data gathered were analysed through thematic and content analysis techniques. The results of the study show that ecological changes have led to the contamination of several water resources and reduced soil productivity. This has resulted in the loss of numerous animal species and massive alterations to the environment. Additionally, the study indicates that new consumption patterns have emerged due to these ecological changes. Consequently, most communities now rely on imported goods for their daily survival as a coping mechanism. The study recommends reparations for years of neglect and pollution by both the government and oil companies, to provide broader and more sustainable support to community members.
Aims & Scope
The Niger Delta Research Digest (NDRD) is the INDS official journal, published biannually to disseminate multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research on the Niger Delta. The journal welcomes contributions that explore development, peace and conflict resolution, environment and sustainable development, agriculture, language, culture and history with focus on the Niger Delta region.
Multidisciplinary
Welcoming diverse academic perspectives across development, environment, culture, and history
Niger Delta Focus
Emphasising Niger Delta regional perspectives, development challenges, and environmental sustainability
Peer-Reviewed
Rigorous double-blind peer review process