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From Our Own Correspondent: No Deal in the Niger Delta

The Niger Delta should have grown rich on its oil - but Martin Patience finds its watery landscape dotted with derelict symbols of dashed hope.

Once the Niger Delta region was a byword for militancy, kidnapping and rebel groups - but some years back a deal with central government seemed to address local discontent. Violence ebbed and there were signs more oil revenue would benefit small communities directly. Yet many of the facilities built, and the promises made, now look decidedly empty. Martin Patience visits the Gbaramatu kingdom to find a palace and a 'delta university' in ruins and public opinion growing increasingly restive.

(Photo: The deserted lecture hall of an abandoned training facility for oil workers)

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6 minutes

Last on

Thu 28 Jul 2016 15:23GMT

Broadcast

  • Thu 28 Jul 2016 15:23GMT