Ex-Offender Reintegration and Sustained Peace in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: Adopting a Socio-Economic Change Model Approach

The Niger Delta of Nigeria rich in oil and gas resources has been plagued with series of armed conflicts characterised by massive youth restiveness. The peaceful coexistence of people in the region is often affected by the nature of oil and gas business determined by the political economy of the Nigerian state. By the statute of the Federal system of Government in Nigeria, all resources within the territorial boundary of the country belong to the Federal Government. The Government then pays a certain 13% derivation fund to the resource bearing states for development. The Federal Government equally sees to the development of the region through its statutory Agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission. All these efforts are yet to bring about infrastructural development and human capacity needs of the region. A consequence of this is the armed militancy and cult related violence that has engulfed the region. In this paper, an attempt is made to analyse the socioeconomic requisitions of a reintegration programme for ex-offenders seeking re-entry into mainstream society. An interventionist approach is recommended with effective monitoring and evaluation system for a socioeconomic reintegration of ex-offenders in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.