Oil and Gas Production and the Socio-Economic Development of the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria

This study was conducted to examine the impact of oil and gas production on the socio-economic development of the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria with due consideration to the role of oil industry operators and the government. To achieve the above objective, research questions were raised, hypotheses were formulated and a review of relevant literature was made. In order to gather the necessary data for this study, the chiefs and title-holders in Ogba community in Rivers Stale were selected for the study. The questionnaire was the major instrument for data collection and the hypotheses stated in this study were tested with the chi-square statistical test. Our findings indicated that the impact of oil industry operators and the government is at low ebb. It was therefore recommended that operators in the oil industry and the government should significantly contribute to the welfare of the host communities to enhance the socio-economic development of the region