Empowering the poor in the coastal area of the Niger Delta region with the people of Awoye on focus
Etuonovbe, Angela Kesiena
Nigeria is a mono-cultural economy that relies on oil as the main source of its revenue. Nearly all of the nationns oil reserves are found in the Niger Delta or the South-South geopolitical zone, which is primarily inhabited by ethnic minority communities of southern Nigeria, including, among others, the Ijaw, Ibibio, Efik, Bini, Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ogoni. Yet, decisions concerning ownership and/or allocation of the revenues derived from oil are made in a National Assembly where, together, the three major ethnic groups (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo) amongst Nigeriaas approximately 350 ethnic nationalities form a collective majority. Since independence, agitations by the indigenes of the Niger Delta region have centred on guaranteeing fairness and equity in the distribution of political power and economic resources. The activities of major oil companies, such as Shell, Chevron-Texaco, Elf, Agip and Mobil, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have severely damaged the environment on which the host communities depend for their livelihood. The oil extraction process has decimated the ecosystem and adversely affected the lives and livelihood of the people of the Niger Delta.
Event: 6th FIG Regional Conference 2007 : Strategic Integration of Surveying Services
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