Evaluating the gender content of the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta of Nigeria : any concern for the socio-economic development of women?

Abstract

Palliative measures to the crisis in the Niger Delta are worrisome. Issue of gender was not addressed when conceptualising the strategic political and economic stability in the Creek areas. The masculine approach to the problems of militancy is not only lopsided, but also, it is a misconceived adventure by the national government of Nigeria. This is germane when one looks into the contribution of women and girls to the socio-economic development in the oil producing state. The public-private cooperation approach in addressing the insurrection and eventual unperturbed supply of fossil fuel to the international oil market undermine the roles that women played during and after "military cessation of hostility" in the region. Underplaying a holistic approach in addressing the hydra-headed problems in the Niger Delta will eventually give the amnesty programme a relapsing fever. It is the contention of this paper that the narrow explanation of the gender issue of femininity and masculinity fails to capture the complexity of crises in the Niger Delta. The need to include women and girls in the amnesty arrangement will bring about lasting solutions to the crises of resource curse in the region.