Canadian Social Science
Explaining the Violent Conflicts in Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Is the Rentier State Theory and the Resource-curse Thesis Relevant?
Abstract
Since the early 1970s when crude oil became Nigeria’s main source of foreign exchange, it soon joined the league table of rentier states. However, beginning from the second half of the 1990s to date, the Niger Delta, the heartbeat and the engine that drives Nigeria’s economy has being stormed by large scale tsunamis of unimaginable proportion due to militant activities. Consequently, Nigeria’s quest for unity, stability, national security and accelerated economic development are being undermined. This article explores the relevance of the rentier state theory and the resource-Curse thesis to explaining essence of the renewed violence in the Niger Delta. The article concludes that, although the basic assumptions of the rentier state theory and resource-curse thesis are relevant, there are other salient factors that are also paramount.
Key words: Rentier state; Resource curse; Oil resource; Violent conflict; Niger delta
Résumé: Depuis le début des années 1970 lorsque le pétrole brut est devenu la principale source du Nigeria de change constants, il est bientôt rejoint le tableau de la ligue des Etats rentiers. Cependant, à partir de la seconde moitié des années 1990 à ce jour, le delta du Niger, le battement de coeur et le moteur de l'économie du Nigeria a été pris d'assaut par les tsunamis à grande échelle de proportion inimaginable en raison des activités militantes. Par conséquent, la quête du Nigeria pour l'unité, la stabilité, la sécurité nationale et d'accélérer le développement économique sont compromis. Cet article explore la pertinence de la théorie de l'état de rentiers et de la thèse malédiction des ressources pour expliquer l'essence de la violence renouvelée dans le delta du Niger. L'article conclut que, bien que les hypothèses de base de la théorie de l'état de rentiers et de la malédiction des ressources thèse sont pertinentes, il ya d'autres facteurs importants qui sont également primordiaux.
Mots clés: Etat rentier; Malédiction des ressources; Les ressources pétrolières; Les conflits violents; Le delta du Niger
Keywords
References
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.css.1923669720110704.054
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