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Good Governance

The root of the problems in the Niger Delta is poor governance.

Military rulers amassed personal fortunes on oil revenues from the Niger Delta caring little about the underdeveloped region and its impoverished population. The transition from a military to civilian rule in 1999 has not resulted in an improvement of the lives of the population in the Niger Delta. The country's nascent democracy is plagued with endemic corruption and misadministration inherited from its military predecessors. The politics is dominated by a patronage network of de facto power that unrepresentative state elites are determined to maintain at any cost. The 2003 and 2007 elections in the Niger Delta were extensively rigged, marred by widespread electoral violence and there has been further breakdown of the social contract.

>> Read SDN election reports: "Further rigging" and the 2003 election report TMG

The State governors must utilise their power for the good of the people if this race to the bottom is going to be stopped. There are some encouraging signs, but concrete and sustained actions are what the latest groups of governors will be judged on. Unless the corruption at all levels of government is tackled, however, even a dramatic increase in spending will be wasted.

The need for a strong civil society

The legacy of military rule and personalisation of politics in the Niger Delta is not a conducive environment for a strong and independent civil society.

SDN believes that civil society actors are the key to reversing the current trend of violence and poor governance. Within the Niger Delta current civil society capacity is weak and it is reliant on a few champions of the people. Civil society activities are often small scale, confined to specific areas, generally under-funded and disparate. However, civil society groups have a real drive and determination to make a positive difference to the Niger Delta. They have local knowledge on how to best deal with the mounting local problems, are passionate about their mission in the Niger Delta society and determined to continue their work despite many obstacles of different natures.

SDN tries to ensure that key civil society groups and NGO's in the Niger Delta are supported.