This thesis titled ‘The Renewal of Hostilities in the Nigerian Delta Region in 2016 and the Failure of the Presidential Amnesty’ investigated the renewal of the hostilities, the alleged sponsor(s) of the perpetrators, the impact of their activities on the oil and gas sector and their environment. Opinions explored consist of research participants’ general viewpoints on the presidential amnesty programme. From the creation of PAP to its implementation, it is in some way evident that the PAP was not designed to provide a lasting solution to the Niger Delta conflict. The politicking in the process of its execution has created a mixed reaction among researchers and writers alike. While some researchers identified the many shortcomings of PAP, others question the value of amnesties that ignore past crimes or atrocities committed by militants/combatants. It is argued that attaining peace should not mean overlooking past atrocities and that failure to prosecute those who committed the worst human rights abuses ignores the suffering of their victims, delays long term reconciliation, and propagates a culture of impunity that can contribute to future abuses.
The thesis adopts mixed methods because of the growing consensus that combining the approaches is advantageous in revealing different aspects of reality. Self-administered questionnaires were used as an instrument for quantitative data collection. The questionnaires were distributed in each of the six geo-political zones. Out of the 330 distributed, 287 (95%) were returned and upon these numbers (n=287), the quantitative data was presented and analysed. An in-depth interview was the instrument for qualitative data. The qualitative data was analysed manually using thematic content.
Among other aspects, the study discovered that some prominent individuals led by one ex-militant leader were the sponsors of the new groups, and that the PAP was designed to enrich political godfathers. Respondents agreed that the PAP was genuinely packaged but got derailed at the implementation stage and suggested re-packaging it. The study points out the role played by the politicians as one important factor why the conflict seems to be reoccurring.