Beyond the “Geography of Terrorism and Terror of Geography” Thesis

Abstract

The Niger Delta predicament has fascinated academic curiosity and intellectual nosiness in the recent time. Thus, several analytical frameworks and theoretical postulations have been adopted in the explanation of the Niger Delta quandary. One of the competing explanations is the “geography of terrorism or terror of geography” thesis which construed the inauspicious geography and murky topography of the region as a major factor that precipitates development tragedy. The article argues that beyond the terror of geography thesis is the endemic political and bureaucratic corruption that has engulfed the Nigerian political system at all levels of government. To buttress this contention, the article has gathered and analyzed the allocation to Niger Delta states, relative to states in other geopolitical zones, for a period of five years, from 2004 to 2008, and concludes that the problem with Niger Delta is not only a problem of resource allocation and a problem of geography, but majorly a problem of endemic political and bureaucratic corruption.