Emerging social movements in the niger delta region in Nigeria : Evaluation of perceived successes and dilemmas

Abstract

Essentially, the importance of social movements in any organized and even nonorganized settings cannot be underestimated. A number of social movements have actually emerged all over the world, with specific aims and objectives. Social movements are seen as organized groups, usually agitating for equality, better living conditions for people, justice, political representation, etc. In Nigeria today, there are more than one hundred social movements that have emerged to address a number of issues that are pertinent for the survival, growth and development of human lives and the protection of property. Specifically, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the roles being played daily by the newly-emerged social movements addressing the core issues of underdevelopment, resource control, environmental protection and political marginalization cannot be underestimated. A number of approaches are being employed to drive home their demands by the newly-emerged social movements. However, this study is meant to evaluate perceived successes and dilemmas among members and leaders of some selected social movements, and to investigate the influence of personal characteristics, personality characteristics and environmental factors. A total of 72 participants (members and leaders) of social movements participated in the study with 60 (83.3 percent) males and 12 (16.7 percent) females. The study was a survey which utilized ex-post facto design. Questionnaire format was employed for data collection and statistical analysis of multiple regression and descriptive statistics were employed in analyzing the collected data.