Peace & Conflict Review Volume 5, Issue 1 ISSN: 1659-3995 Environmental Conflict and the Politics of Oil in the Oil-Bearing Areas of Nigeria’s Niger Delta Abosede Babatunde Abstract Oil wealth enriches Nigeria, but it has not alleviated the poverty and deprivation in the oil-bearing areas of the Niger Delta. Oil-bearing areas have been exposed to ecological risks that have culminated in the violence characterizing the region. Literature has highlighted the consequences of oil exploitation, such as social tension culminating in violent communal crisis, youth restlessness, and oil-companies’ brutal repression. This study examines oil-related environmental externalities and oil-induced politics in the oil-bearing areas. Data were derived from interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and questionnaires. At present, the oil-bearing areas remain marginalized from the mainstream economic, social, and political activities in Nigeria. The Nigerian government’s top-down approach to the development of the oil-bearing areas has not been people-centred and participatory. Recommendations from this study include improved infrastructures, more equitable distribution of resources, improved local governance, effective conflict management mechanisms, and better environmental management. Key words: Environmental degradation, Oil-induced Politics, Conflict, Oil-bearing Areas, Niger Delta, Nigeria. INTRODUCTION The oil-bearing areas of the Niger Delta have the largest mangrove forests in Africa and the third largest in the world. The inhabitants of the area derive a wide range of natural resources from the mangrove forest; including herbal medicine, fish, timber, and vital ecosystem services like stable soil and a flourishing habitat for a variety of wildlife, such as several endangered species, such as the Delta elephant, the white-crested monkey, and the river hippopotamus. In other words, the Niger Delta mangrove provides the means of sustenance to the people, who live largely on a subsistence basis. It also provides an important spawning habitat for Nigeria’s commercial fisheries. However, the advent of oil production in the Niger Delta has led to deforestation and ecological degradation, threatening the renewable natural resources and the ecosystem services in a number of ways. The oil-bearing areas have faced so many environmental problems caused by pollution arising from oil activities such as drill cuttings, drilling mud, fluids used in production, chemicals injected to control corrosion or to separate oil from water, and general industrial waste. Added to this are problems of gas flaring and incidents of oil spills and blow outs (Aworawo, 1999). While spills inevitably accompany oil production, in Nigeria they occur with an alarming frequency and magnitude because most of the oil delivery infrastructure is obsolete and inadequate. Also, sabotage of pipelines is a persistent problem, and spills and pipelines leaks are poorly monitored and often not reported and repaired on time. In addition, oil exploration and production are linked to poorly designed causeways and canals that the oil industry uses. These affect the hydrology of the seasonally flooded fresh water swamp and the brackish Peace and Conflict Review · Volume 5 Issue 1 · Year 2010 · Page 1