Dynamics of Public Administration
Year : 2019, Volume : 36, Issue : 1
First page : ( 1) Last page : ( 11)
Print ISSN : 0975-3907. Online ISSN : 0976-0733.
Article DOI : 10.5958/0976-0733.2019.00001.4

Nigeria's Foreign Investment Policy and Artisans’ Underground Oil Economy: Who Wins in the Niger Delta Region?

Akpomera Eddy

Senior Lecturer, Ph.D., Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. Email id: eddyakpomera@yahoo.com

Online published on 2 May, 2019.

Abstract

The paradigm shift in the political economy of the crude oil–rich Niger Delta region is the government drive to encourage new modular refineries by foreign investors. This policy is colliding with the underground oil economy with widespread illegal refineries by local artisans in the region utilising stolen crude oil siphoned from vandalised pipelines. The dangerous distillation practices in the wetland communities have put serious pressure on Nigeria's domestic supply levels of petroleum products, revenue earnings and environmental spoilage. This paper presents an analysis of the unwholesome distillation situation in the Niger Delta, the economic policy glaring slippery grounds and sabotage potential in driving foreign investment in the region, and recommends pathway for the economic survival of the threatened artisans, ex-militants and local elite reaping from their illegal refining activities.

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Keywords

Foreign investment, Crude oil, Modular refineries, Illegal refiners, Artisans, Economy, Niger delta.

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