Nigeria’s delta region was famous for its role in the trade and supply of palm-oil to the then industrialising
world. Th ereafter, its high quality crude-oil made it a signifi cant player in the global oil
market. However, the region has become (in)famous for the spate of violent confl icts that threaten
both local and international economic stability and security. Th is paper highlights the correlations
between these two eras, the parties and fundamental causes of the violent confl icts that beset the
area. It argues that the underlying factor for restiveness in both periods is the exclusion of the local
communities from participating in the exploitation and benefi ts of the resources. Th e paper theorises
the causes of confl icts during the two periods based on social justice concepts of distribution
and recognition. It suggests that the actualisation of normative elements of distribution and recognition
that quelled the fi rst of these confl icts has a fundamental role to play in resolving the multifarious
confl icts that currently pervade the Niger Delta region. Consequently, it suggests that
initiatives that recognise public participation in the crude-oil industry be extended to resolve the
present confl icts.