Disruptive effect of oil exploration on the sustainability of economic life of the Niger Delta area in Nigeria

Niger Delta is a geographical configuration; not a conjecture borne out of political, social or administrative convenience and this delineates Niger Delta as naturally consisting of three states - Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states. This article is a desktop research which attempts to examine the disruptive effect of oil exploration in the Niger Delta aligning it with the sustainability of the economic life of the people of Niger Delta area (NDA) of Nigeria. It undertook the historical background of the life and times of Niger Delta people and the emergence of exploratory activities in the area, coupled with the devastating negative effect of exploration as it affects vegetation, aquatic and terrestrial life, and even the air around NDA. It gave answer to the question: are the natural resources of the Niger Delta people a curse or a blessing? It also examined the involvement of the government, the multinationals and the indigenes in the making and marring of the Niger Delta. The paper concludes with the positive efforts of the government to quell the restiveness and exploitative situation in the NDA with suggestions/recommendations on more positive steps to take towards ameliorating the ugly situation in the area.