Political Violence and Oil in Africa

Chosen Trauma, Emotions and Memory in Movements: The Ogoni and Ijaw in the Niger Delta

“…There are over 600 offshore and shore-based oil fields in the region. Despite the huge revenues the government derives from the production of oil and gas in the region, the people of the region have continued to agitate for improved living standards related to basic social amenities such as good roads, access to electricity, health facilities and schools (Osaghae 2008;Mai-Bornu 2020a;Helbert & O'Brien 2020). Often depicted, as the third largest delta area in the world, the Niger Delta is a region of Nigeria defined by the delta of the Niger River.…”

“…The glaring economic disadvantage of the oil producing region as against the resources spent for its advancement, has seen massive structural imbalances and is indicative of a productive arena for several forms of grievances and community anger. At the outset of this paper, it is important to be cognizant that the Ogoni and Ijaw share similar lived experiences, but have had very different trajectories and made different choices in engaging their perceived enemies (see also Mai-Bornu 2017, 2019, 2020a, 2020b. Culture plays a crucial binding and social cohesion role among the various dialect communities and was a defining aspect of common identity until crude oil emerged as a source of contestation between the groups as part of an overall structure of agitation within the central Nigerian state.…”

Dynamics of leadership styles within the Ogoni and Ijaw movements in the Niger Delta

“…A number of explanations have been offered for the primal relationship between the Ogoni and the land. Saro-Wiwa contended that the Ogoni had inherited a valuable portion of land endowed with the rich plateau soil that provided agricultural blessings, while the rivers flowing along the borders of the area abounded with fish and seafood (Saro-Wiwa, 1992, p. 12; see also Mai-Bornu, 2020). This idyllic existence, according to Osaghae (1995, p. 392), was dramatically interrupted by oil production activities which "changed the circumstances of intra-Ogoni relations as well as those of its relationship with other groups and the state".…”

“…An interesting characteristic of the Ijaw movement is its fluidity between violence and nonviolence. In the 1960s, it took the form of a short-lived but violent rebellion under Boro; in the l990s it manifested in a nonviolent form, similar to that of the Ogoni; in 2003-04 the Ijaw struggle took a turn towards violence once again, exemplified by the emergence of more radical armed leaders such as Asari Dokubo (see Mai-Bornu, 2020). The psychological antecedents (Ayanian & Tausch, 2016) of the Ijaw radical leadership in terms of anger, frustration and impotence suggest a clear awareness of the success associated with armed militancy towards achieving their goals.…”

“…Leaders are obviously key actors because of the indispensable role they play in shaping movements (see Mai-Bornu, 2020;Nepstad & Bob, 2006), which are influenced in turn by the social and cultural capital at their disposal (Bourdieu, 1991). I argue that the story of the Niger Delta is worthy of attention as it aids our understanding of the processes and mental strategies employed by leaders to achieve a collective response from their followers (Haslam, Reicher, & Platow, 2011).…”