ABSTRACT

The abandonment of true federalism in Nigeria has led to the neglect and marginalization of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where the bulk of the country’s wealth is produced through the exploration and exploitation of crude oil which is the colossus of Nigeria’s economic base. The people of this region have been agitating for fair share of the country’s wealth, the bulk of which comes from their region. This quasi model of federalism has not been able to address the socioeconomic and developmental needs of this people inspite of their unquantifiable contribution towards the development of the entire nation. This paper makes a critical analysis of Nigeria’s federalism in the context of unabated frequent call for resource control and the resultant crisis in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. This is done by examining the evolution of Nigeria: challenges of Nigeria’s federalism; and the root causes of the Niger-Delta crisis. After drawing conclusion from the literature reviewed, the paper will make some vital recommendations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Title page …………………………………………………………….i Approval page ………………………………………………………..ii Dedication …………………………………………………………….iii Acknowledgement …………………………………………… ……iv Table of contents ……………………………………………………..v Abstract …………………………………………………. ….. …… vi CHAPTER ONE 1.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………..1 1.2 Statement of the problem ………………………………………… 4 1.3 Objective of the study ………………………………………. ……6 1.4 Significance of the study ………………………………………… 7 1.5 Literature Review ………………………………………… ………30 1.6 Theoretical framework …………………………………………….34 1.7 Hypotheses …………………………………………………………35 1.8 Method of Data Collection …………………………………………36 1.9 Method of Data Analysis……………………………………………38 CHAPTER TWO 2.0 The Niger-Delta ……………………………………………………. 43 2.1 Ethnographical Location of Niger Delta……………………………43 2.2 Historical Background of Niger Delta………………………………45 2.3 Niger Delta and Federalism in Nigeria ……………………………..51 CHAPTER THREE 3.0 The Contending Perspective on Resource Control …………………62 3.1 Revenue Allocation …………………………………………………62 3.2 The Threshold of the Agitation for Resource Control………………73 3.3 Revenue Allocations, Resource Control and Socio-Political Crisis in the Niger Delta……………………………………………………. 76 3.4 The Impact of the Crisis ……………………………………………80 CHAPTER FOUR 4.0 Political Economy of Resource Control and Federalism in Nigeria a Case Study of Niger Delta ……………………………………….84 4.1 Implication of Niger Delta Crisis ………………………………… 84 4.2 Institutional Solutions to Niger Delta Question ………………… 84 4.3 International Consideration for the Resolution of the Crisis ………94 CHAPTER FIVE 5.0 Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation …………………… 98 5.1 Summary ……………………………………………………………98 5.2 Conclusion ………………………………………………………….100 5.3 Recommendation ……………………………………………………102 Bibliography……………………………………………………………….105