Bayelsa State

Bayelsa is a southern state in Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta region. Bayelsa State was formed in 1996 from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The name of the state, Bayelsa, is a combination of the first few letters of the major local government areas within its confines: Brass LGA (BALGA), Yenagoa LGA (YELGA), and Sagbama LGA (SALGA). The state borders Rivers State, of which it was formerly part, and Delta State.[4]

Bayelsa is predominantly Ijaw, with the Ijaw languages being widely spoken within the state.[5] The state is the smallest in Nigeria by population as of the 2006 census, as well as one of the smallest by area. Being in the Niger Delta region, Bayelsa State has a riverine and estuarine setting, with bodies of water within the state preventing the development of significant road infrastructure.

As a state in the oil-rich Niger Delta, the Bayelsa State’s economy is dominated by the petroleum industry. The state is the site of Oloibiri Oilfield, where oil was first discovered in Nigeria,[6] and as of 2015 was estimated to produce 30-40% of the country’s oil.[7] Though being the site of one of the largest crude oil and natural gas deposits in the country contributes to local economic development, the state remains plagued by rampant poverty as well as pollution stemming from oil spills.[8][9]

During the 20th century, demands for a new, majority-Ijaw state to be drawn in the Niger Delta Region became common. Between 1941 and 1956, numerous Ijaw nationalist organizations supportive of an Ijaw-majority state in Southern Nigeria were founded. Isaac Adaka Boro, a prominent Ijaw rights activist during the 1960s who was born in Oloibiri, attempted to proclaim a “Niger Delta Peoples Republic” in 1966.[10][11]

Bayelsa State was created out of Rivers State on October 1, 1996 by the Sani Abacha’s military government. Its name was derived from the first few letters of the names of the major local government areas from which it was formed: Brass LGA (BALGA), Yenagoa LGA (YELGA) and Sagbama LGA (SALGA).[4]

On November 20, 1999, the Nigerian military committed what is now referred to as the Odi massacre. The death toll remains disputed to this day, though Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action, claims that nearly 2500 civilians were killed.[12]

In response to environmental degradation in the state caused by the oil industry, movements such as the “Rise for Bayelsa” campaign have emerged to push for protecting the local water supply.[13] In 2019, the Bayelsa State government launched the first formal inquiry into the crisis of oil pollution in the state.[14]