An Exploration of the Ogoni People’s Resistance in Nigeria: A Participatory Action Research Approach
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis focuses on the Ogoni minority ethnic group in Rivers State, which forms part of the Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria. It explores the Ogoni people’s struggle for survival by tracing the problems of the Ogoni to British colonial rule and its political effect on the minority groups in Nigeria and the post-colonial reality of maintaining equality between the majority ethnic groups and underprivileged minorities as the Ogoni people. The thesis explores the Ogoni’s protest against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigerian government challenging the environmental degradation of their lands, and the reason behind the socio-economic and political marginalization of the people since the inception of oil extraction of oil and gas in 1958. The rights of Ogoni people to political and economic self-determination which they claim as their legal right and fair entitlements to proceeds of natural resources located within Ogoniland are key factors to the Ogoni struggle. The contribution of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People- MOSOP (as agency in this context) to achieve Ogoni self-rule within Nigeria is germane. Though a nonviolent movement, it continues to face the state’s violent reaction against the entire Ogoni people - the climax being the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa (founder of MOSOP) and eight other Ogoni activists in 1995. The thesis draws heavily on Marxism and social movement studies; the idea of social movement from below pursued by grassroots groups who through locally- generated skills seek to challenge dominant structure of oppression. Rather than mainstream social movement theory, the research adopts movement relevant theory, which relies on activists’ experience to explain the everyday struggles of the Ogoni people; how their collective nonviolent approach contributes to their fight for justice. To serve as an example to the Ogoni struggle, the thesis discusses the principled and pragmatic nonviolent paradigms of Mahatma Gandhi …
abstract: This thesis focuses on the Ogoni minority ethnic group in Rivers State, which forms part of the Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria. It explores the Ogoni people’s struggle for survival by tracing the problems of the Ogoni to British colonial rule and its political effect on the minority groups in Nigeria and the post-colonial reality of maintaining equality between the majority ethnic groups and underprivileged minorities as the Ogoni people. The thesis explores the Ogoni’s protest against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigerian government challenging the environmental degradation of their lands, and the reason behind the socio-economic and political marginalization of the people since the inception of oil extraction of oil and gas in 1958. The rights of Ogoni people to political and economic self-determination which they claim as their legal right and fair entitlements to proceeds of natural resources located within Ogoniland are key factors to the Ogoni struggle. The contribution of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People- MOSOP (as agency in this context) to achieve Ogoni self-rule within Nigeria is germane. Though a nonviolent movement, it continues to face the state’s violent reaction against the entire Ogoni people - the climax being the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa (founder of MOSOP) and eight other Ogoni activists in 1995. The thesis draws heavily on Marxism and social movement studies; the idea of social movement from below pursued by grassroots groups who through locally- generated skills seek to challenge dominant structure of oppression. Rather than mainstream social movement theory, the research adopts movement relevant theory, which relies on activists’ experience to explain the everyday struggles of the Ogoni people; how their collective nonviolent approach contributes to their fight for justice. To serve as an example to the Ogoni struggle, the thesis discusses the principled and pragmatic nonviolent paradigms of Mahatma Gandhi …
author: Udogbo, Samuel Terwase
language: en
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:03:10Z
provider: National University of Ireland - Maynooth
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: National University of Ireland Maynooth