ENDOGENOUS PEACEBUILDING IN THE NIGER DELTA: COMMUNITY-CENTERED APPROACHES AND ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS

Abstract

The Niger Delta is one of the most volatile territories in Nigeria, shaped by decades of militancy, ecological devastation, and a series of development interventions that have not achieved sustainable peace. Although a significant amount of literature has addressed the political economy of oil extraction, state fragility, and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), relatively little attention has been given to how the communities of the Delta theorize the concept of peace and how these communities can put such a concept into practice. This paper attempts to fill this gap by focusing on endogenous peacebuilding practices that are more locally based and prioritize inclusion, accountability, livelihood diversification, and ecological restoration as pillars. The paper utilizes the Human Needs theory, which posits that conflict persists in situations where fundamental human rights, namely security, identity, participation, and development, are systematically deprived. The study employs a qualitative design, with primary data collected systematically through semi-structured interviews. The data were coded using NVivo, and the results are triangulated with secondary data. The empirical findings suggest that peace is not merely the absence of violence, but a dynamic interplay among interrelated processes, including stakeholder involvement, ongoing dialogue, open governance, and environmental justice. It stresses that state-based interventions are politicized and often lack transparency. Meanwhile, localised security practices and socio-economic and gendered consequences of militancy highlight the complex effects of conflict on the well-being of communities. Participants also proffered community-based policy recommendations that focus on livelihood diversification, empowering the youth, needs-based planning, and environmental restoration.