ECONOMICS OF CONFLICTS AND RESOURCE CONTROL

The desires and aspirations of the founding fathers of Nigeria during the pre-independence era was to build a strong and stable Nigeria that would be established on the tenets and principles of true federalism. However, after a few years of independence, these desires and expectations turned into national confusion and crisis when the civil war (6th July 1967-15th January 1970) broke out. It is obvious that the agitation and clamour for the control of resources by host communities and federal units have been a major factor in the problems facing the Nigerian Republic. Significantly, the Niger Delta region’s clamour and agitation for the control of their resources has escalated to another level of conflict. In this book, which is a compilation of my findings, I try to argue that the failure of successive governments in the past to abide by the tenets and principles of true federalism in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice, especially concerning the control of resources, has been the sole cause of the various conflicts in the nation particularly the armed struggle in the Niger Delta. Read more