The Nigerian State and Development in the Niger Delta Region

Abstract

The paper examined the Nigerian state and development in the Niger Delta region. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria exemplifies the contrast between enormous wealth and severe underdevelopment. The Nigerian government has made several attempts to stimulate development in the region by establishing special development agencies. However, none of the special development agencies established have been successful in improving the living conditions of the people of the Niger Delta. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to investigate some of the challenges confronting the Niger Delta region, as well as the Nigerian government's responses to them in order to achieve development. The Marxian Political Economy (MPE) theory was used as the theoretical framework of analysis. The paper relied on secondary sources of data collection. It was discovered that the Niger Delta region faces unemployment and poverty, as well as a lack of quality education and healthcare, as well as water and transportation issues. Furthermore, the several specific development agencies established by the Nigerian government to address these issues are failing to change the narrative, as the people of the region remain impoverished. As a result, the paper recommended a change in the mentality on the part of the Nigerian government, of those who supervise the activities of the NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, as a way forward to assure speedy development of the Niger Delta region.