Residents of the Niger Delta continue to struggle for greater benefits from oil extraction in their homeland.
Over the last two decades there have been ongoing conflicts over the exploitation and ownership of natural resources in the Niger Delta. This has resulted in a variety of responses, ranging from nonviolent political action to armed groups who battle with security forces over sites of oil production in the Delta. One thing is clear: local residents have benefited little from the extraction of natural resources in their homeland. As filmmaker Ola Balogan says, “The devastation in the Niger Delta is appalling. We have the resources. We have the capacity to develop our country. We only need justice.” Fire in the Delta shows Shell’s deplorable conduct in the Niger Delta and documents the feelings of local residents who have seen their communities damaged by the resource extraction.