CONFLICT MANAGEMENT FOR PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA: ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Demands for more equitable and privileged treatment by the oil producing minorities of the Niger Delta region as well as struggle by them to redress power imbalances in the country which make them internally colonized people have created conflict and instability in the region. Despite government efforts through the NDDC, the land use Act 1978 (amended 1993), the petroleum Act 1969 (amended) 1991, land Titled vesting Decree 1993, National Inland water ways Authority Decree 1997 etc. and other initiatives engaged over the intractable problem of resource control in the Niger Delta have fail to harmonize existing isolated solutions into workable method for replication. This study therefore, designed a workable template that reflects the harmonization of isolated solution of institutionalized framework (NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta) activities in physical/human capital development, legally enforced redistribution plan and the declaration of indigenous right for resource control into a conflict management model that will neutralized conflict and ensures regional development. To achieve the aforementioned, the researchers have outlined four objective for the study which translates to four null hypotheses. The respondents constituted the sample for the study and were selected using stratified random sampling technique from each of the six states; Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Delta and Rivers States which make up the Niger Delta region. In each State, a substratum was created based on seven social indexes which included: political class, civil servant, organized private sector (Entrepreneur. captains of industries). Non-governmental organizations, Religious Leaders, Traditional Rulers and Youths (Students and Unemployed). Each of the sub-stratum was represented by 50 respondents selected through simple random sampling technique, meaning that three hundred and fifty (350) respondents were selected from each of the six states; hence. Two Thousand one Hundred (2100) respondents constituted overall sample for the study. The instrument adopted for the study, was a Four Point Likert Scale questionnaire called (Conflict Management for peace and sustainable development in Niger Delta (CMPASDIND) Questionnaire. Data collected with the use of the instrument were subjected to inferential statistical analysis which included Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) and Regression Analysis. Findings reveals that all the three (3) independent variables taken together [activities of institutional framework (NDDC, PTDF and Ministry of Niger Delta) for special development, legally enforced revenue sharing formulae and declaration of indigenous right for resource control] were significant in influencing the variance in the extent of peace for sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.