The Democracy/Environmental Justice Challenge in Nigeria’s Niger Delta and the Developmental Leadership and Governance Culture Imperative

Abstract

Managing the democracy/environmental challenge in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a daunting and herculean task. This is because the country’s failed democratic enterprise and its weak, poor and shallow democratic institutions have largely denied the region the access to the developmental opportunities and benefits (food and human security, socio-economic assistance and empowerment, development-oriented programmes including educational scholarships, skills acquisition, small and medium scale businesses and massive infrastructural development ) that are derivable from the large scale oil exploration, exploitation and production activities, despite the multi-dimensional socio-economic threats faced and costs (environmental pollution and degradation, unemployment, social and economic dislocation and crime) borne by the region. This study which examines the democracy/environmental justice challenge in the Niger Delta derived its data from valuable secondary sources. The study contends that managing the democracy/environmental justice challenge in Nigeria’s oil region that is faced with crisis prone under-development predicaments requires, as a matter of exigency, a true and genuine developmental leadership and governance culture and agenda. The study concluded with some useful remarks

Keywords: Democracy, environmental injustice, leadership and governance culture