Youth Restiveness in the Niger Delta

One of the many-sided effects of environmental injustice in the Niger Delta is “Youth Restiveness†which metamorphosed into proliferation of arms and the emergence of militias that is arguably a threat to the macro-Nigerian environment. This article, which relied on secondary sources of data, critically examines youth restiveness in the Niger Delta and contends that the root cause is the legal environmental laws that provided the basis for the operational hazards of the oil conglomerates that have collaborated with the Nigerian state whose intervention agencies have largely failed to close the developmental gaps in the region. The article posits that in the face of sundry efforts by the Nigerian state, particularly the infinitesimal 13% derivation element of the current revenue sharing formula, the failed land use reform attempt, the partially successful short-run post-amnesty program, and the controversial petroleum industry bill, the central developmental concerns of the Niger Delta region have not been addressed. The article concludes with some useful recommendations including the exigency of the modification of the obnoxious and eco-environmentally disadvantageous laws and a holistic developmental approach and action-based programs by the Nigerian government and oil conglomerates that will provide sustainable windows of opportunity and safety nets for the socio-economically dislocated youths.