INTRODUCTION
Women suffer great hardships in times of conflict. The women of the Niger Delta are no exception. During the conflicts with oil companies and the Nigerian government, women are subjected to all kinds of violent-sexual such as rape, physical violence such as bearings, maiming…murder and destruction of properties. Niger Delta women suffer unimaginable human rights abuses for which redress is unattainable because the agents of government who perpetrate the abuses cannot be subjected to the rule of law. Husband, fathers and sons have been killed or maimed in the conflict and women have had to assume burdens of home responsibilities as heads of households.
The purpose of this work therefore, is to give a critical analysis of conflict in the Niger-Delta area and the effects it has on women. This will go a long way in proffering possible solutions to these effects.
Looking at the chaotic situation like the one existing in the Niger-Delta areas, rape and prostitution are common. First of all, the angry and hungry young men who are fighting for their rights will do with any woman around. Secondly, the soldiers usually sent by the federal government to calm the rioting villagers use the women in the area as the resting place. At night they invade private homes, terrorizing residents with beatings and raping women and girls. Also, girls and young women who are looking for economic survival hang around the oil companies and keep them selves at the service of both the national international oil workers who are believed to be "guys in money". These women are given few naira or at least few dollars at the end of every sexual meeting.
Furthermore, the staff of the multinationals are not only enjoying cheap labour but they also have cheap sex at their disposal. Worse still, most of these relationships end up with children and the women are left alone to carry the burden of bringing up these 'fatherless babies.' By so doing, the association of Niger Delta women for justice (NDWJ) has been fighting for a law, making it mandatory for the oil workers especially foreigners to claim their offspring and if possible the mothers of such children born out of any of the company's staff's promiscuous activities.
In addition, the mass community protests against multi-nationals began with the Ogharefe women's protest in 1984 against US Pan Ocean. In each of the protest, the women's objectives were simple and their demands clear and right: oil companies and their god fathers must concrete efforts to improve the economic, environmental and social conditions of the rural communities – the hosts. In effect, they demanded that their youths and husbands be employed as a way of giving them some sense of belonging. They also requested the provisions of social amenities such as good roads, water, health care facilities and electricity supply to enhance their standard of living.
In 1998, women in Warri mobilized and protested against oil companies, they demanded for compensation over land seized and pollution damage. When Pan Ocean refused to compensate the people, groups of women rose against this company and laid siege to it. They halted production through dance, songs and the threat of nakedness in an effort to restore their community's economic, environmental and social security. After this protest, community action against the state and multinationals increased with a series of mass protests demanding economic, political and social justice.
The same scene repeated itself in 2006, but this time against shell. During this time, the Niger-Delta women and their allies stages simultaneous protests in Nigeria and London against dangerous burning of natural gas by the oil companies. In Nigeria the women and allied men blocked the shell oil stations, while in London, thirteen activist occupied shell headquarters. They barricaded themselves in the managing director's offices and broadcasted to the outside via digital cameras, laptop computers and mobile phones (Oduniyi, 2009).
In 2008, attention was shifted to chevron. This was the most serious of all women uprising in the region because of the amount of international media attention received. During this period the women threatened to strip, the uprising was led by the women of Ijaw and Itsekiri communities, they were angry at the unemployment of their children and husbands, lack of infrastructure and economic empowerment by the federal government and multinational oil companies, the women also occupied chevron's exploration site. At the same time they paralyzed the activities at the operational headquarters of Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC), the women asked that the multinationals should see to the electrification, foreshore walls and housing projects in the host communities to improve the environmental and living conditions there.
Conclusively, the study tried to go through the history of oil crisis in the Niger Delta and saw how women are the innocent victims of this malady. The study touched different ways they are victimized – poor condition of life, unemployment, exploitation of various forms. In order to resist this situation, mass protests – women's uprising in order to change the status quo. This study therefore, tend to unravel the challenges women faced during conflict with particular attention to Niger-Delta women.
References
Ake Claude (1981). The Political Economy of Nigeria. London, Longman.
Federal Government of Nigeria, Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan pp 9-10.
Kingsley Osadoror (2008). "The rise of the women of the Niger Delta". World press review, New York, P. 47.
Mike Oduniyi (2009). Women Fight the Oil Company; Ijaw VS Chevron.
Usha Jesudasan (2003). "Working together: The Hindu, Chennai,
June 14 P.1, pp1-2.
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