Niger Delta Crisis and the Amnesty Programme: Evolution, Challenges and Prognosis

Abstract

This paper offers a critical account of the Niger Delta Crisis and amnesty programme introduced by the Nigerian state in 2009. It examines its evolution, challenges and prospects of the amnesty as an instrument of peace-building, and emphasizes the need for wider reforms that address underdevelopment and poverty in the Niger Delta region. The paper argues that the amnesty programme is a commendable effort that majority of the people in the locality are living in abject poverty where there is no meaningful development as well as victims of the conflict were not compensated while some of the youth were empowered with various skills acquisition through the amnesty package. Arising from these therefore and based on the above data and discussions it is therefore concluded that the amnesty programme has significantly reduced the crisis but did not totally eradicate the crisis as there are still issues and problems facing the Niger delta region; to a considerable extent. The hope includes the utmost need for the Nigerian state to take very pragmatic steps in consolidating on the gains of the amnesty programme by implementing and sustaining the post amnesty projects to their logical conclusions in the Niger-delta and to ensure that the root causes of the problems which were the drivers of the conflicts are adequately addressed.