A Qualitative Insight into Oil Spill Conflicts in the Niger-Delta Region

The Case of Ilaje Community in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Oil spill conflicts within the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria reflect long-held feelings of exclusion, power inequalities and asymmetries that range from economic, social, cultural and political injustice. While many conflict resolution strategies have been designed and implemented in the Niger Delta region, the stark reality is that these schemes and programmes have not mitigated the crucial problems of communal conflict resulting from oil spillage. It therefore becomes necessary for peace and conflict scholars to provide empirical based insights into the dynamics of oil spill conflicts from community based perspectives in order to understand the peculiarities of each community within the Niger-Delta. Being that the inclusion of Ondo State within the Niger-Delta region has been debated to be more of a political gesture, than by its geography, not many oil spill related studies have been conducted in this area. This study is therefore conducted within this area in order to understand and compare previous findings from other core states within the Niger-Delta region.  The study provides empirical evidence on oil spill conflicts and its contextual drivers within Ilaje Community of Ondo state. The study employed qualitative approaches (key informant interviews) for data collection and analysis. The data collected was subjected to content analysis in line with the study objectives. Extant discussion and suitable recommendations were provided based on the study outcomes.