Authors
Valentine Chinonso Nwaugo
Department of Sociology,
Abia State University
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2475-1186
valentine.nwaugo@abiastateuniversity.edu.ng
+2347032564904
Allens Umunna Iheonu
Department of Political ScienceAbia State
UniversityJeanallens2k3@gmail.com+2348066197144
Abstract
The relationship between oil multinational corporations
and host communities in the Niger Delta has long been
characterized by environmental degradation, economic
dependency, and persistent social tensions. While several
studies have examined the ecological and developmental
consequences of oil exploration, limited attention has
been given to the subtle mechanisms through which
dependency suppresses resistance and normalizes
environmental suffering within host communities. This paper examines the phenomenon of transactional
repression and its role in sustaining environmental
injustice in oil-producing communities of the Niger
Delta, Nigeria. The paper argues that the dependence of
local populations on oil companies for employment
opportunities, community development projects,
scholarships, contracts, and other corporate social
responsibility benefits often compels community
members to suppress grievances, minimize protests, and
tolerate environmental degradation despite its adverse
effects on health, livelihoods, and social wellbeing.
Anchored on political economy, Michel Foucault’s
theory of power, and Environmental Justice Theory, the
paper adopts qualitative conceptual approach using
documentary evidence and empirical insights from
previous studies on oil host communities in the Niger
Delta. The analysis suggests that transactional
relationships between corporations and host
communities create patterns of silence, fear, negotiated
loyalty, and internalized repression that weaken
collective resistance against environmental exploitation.
The paper further demonstrates that environmental
injustice in the Niger Delta is sustained not only through
institutional power and state complicity but also through
socioeconomic dependency that conditions compliance.
The paper concludes that sustainable development and
environmental justice in oil-producing communities
require the reduction of dependency structures,
strengthening of community autonomy, transparent
governance, and inclusive participation in environmental
decision-making processes.
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