Insecurity in the Niger Delta and the Future of Nigeria’s Federalism

Abstract

For over five decades oil from the Niger Delta has been the pivot of the Nigerian economy. However, while other areas enjoyed the benefits of oil revenues, the region has wallowed in misery. This contradiction of wealth without development led to protests for restructuring of the federation to reflect existing structures at independence. However, the State sees the protests as security problem, hence, often, resorting to repression to quell protests. The resort to force turned erstwhile peaceful protests violent and almost dovetailed into insurgency. The paper argues that insecurity in the Niger Delta derives from poor governance ethos. Thus for viable peace in the region, the State must make concerted efforts to meet the region’s key demands. The paper concludes that against the panoply of vested (internal and external) interests in the region, a resurgence of insecurity would sound the death knell to Nigeria’s federalism.

Key words: Oil, Insecurity, Niger Delta, Nigeria’s federalism