Political Violence and Oil in Africa: The Case of Nigeria

To comprehend the Niger Delta conflict, it is crucial to examine the choices made by the Ogoni and Ijaw, considering their similar structural limitations. The book explores why the Ogoni chose nonviolent resistance and the Ijaw violent resistance, divided into seven chapters with an introduction to oil and political violence in African conflicts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 253 pages
Publication date: 09 June 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The book delves into the intricate dynamics of the Niger Delta conflict by examining the choices made by the Ogoni and Ijaw communities. Despite sharing similar structural constraints, the author explores why the Ogoni chose nonviolent resistance and the Ijaw resorted to violent resistance. This comprehensive work is organized into seven chapters, beginning with an introduction to oil and political violence in African conflicts. It also provides a synoptic overview of four other resource-rich countries in Africa. The subsequent chapters delve into the theoretical and conceptual foundations of conflict, placing the Niger Delta conflicts within the broader context of conflict literature. Chapter Three specifically focuses on the Nigerian Niger Delta, outlining the central issues driving the contestations. The following three chapters offer a detailed empirical analysis of the interplay between narratives of nonviolence versus violence, the nature of leadership styles, and the organization of the Ogoni and Ijaw movements. The book concludes with a concluding chapter.

The book argues that in order to better understand the undercurrents of the Niger Delta conflict, it is imperative to analyse the dynamics of choice in terms of the distinct courses of action taken by the Ogoni and Ijaw.

Given the similar structural constraints, the author considers why the Ogoni adopted nonviolent resistance, and the Ijaw violent resistance. This book is divided into seven chapters, starting with an introduction to oil and political violence in African conflicts, and including a synoptic overview of four other resource-rich countries in Africa. Theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of conflict are then presented with the aim of situating the Niger Delta conflicts within the wider conflict literature. Chapter Three concentrates the discussion on the Nigerian Niger Delta, outlining the core issues at the centre of the contestations. The following three chapters offer an in-depth empirical analysis on the interaction between the narratives on nonviolence versus violence, the nature of leadership styles, and the organisation of the Ogoni and Ijaw movements, along with a concluding chapter.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030455279
Edition number: 1st ed. 2020