Nigeria, April 30 -- A former minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Nigeria, Nduese Essien, has said that allowing oil-producing communities to participate in Nigeria's petroleum industry would be the best option for the development of the troubled Niger Delta region.

Nigeria's oil, exploited in the Niger Delta, is the major foreign exchange earner and the mainstay of the country's economy. Its exploitation and export is controlled solely by the federal government.

The Niger Delta has been plagued by poverty and restiveness, despite the billions of dollars Nigeria has made from the oil in the region.

Mr Essien, a former member of the House of Representatives from Akwa Ibom State, said, "13% derivation to the oil producing...