Fiscal Federalism and Agitations for Resource Control in Nigeria: A South-South Perspective

Nigeria is facing multiple and staggering problems, some of which are so fundamental as to be capable of leading to the disintegration of the country if not properly and tactfully resolved. There is a general feeling by the southern minorities who inhabit the core Niger Delta States that Nigeria is today a Federation in name. In practice, it is structurally unbalanced with a strong central government that has abandoned derivation as the basis of sharing rents and royalties that accrue to states in the oil producing areas notwithstanding the fact that these states continue to bear the environmental and socio-economic hazards associated with oil production. Hence, the agitation for fiscal federalism and resource control. Although the two concepts are frequently used interchangeably in the ensuing debate, this paper contends that resource control unlike fiscal federalism is the control of both a fiscal and a mode of governance framework by states directly affected by the exploration of the various resources. For this paper, resource control built on an appropriate mode of governance framework is important for the resolution of the various agitations prevalent in the South-south region and many other parts of the country. Keywords: Agitation, Fiscal Federalism, Governance framework, Resource Control, South-Sout

Critical Environmental Challenges in the Niger Delta: Exploring Strategic Solutions

The Oil industry is the most important sector in the Niger Delta economy while other industries play a minor role only. Consequently, it is not possible to comprehend the environmental crises plaguing the region without paying special attention to the multinational oil companies’ phenomenon, because it particularly salient to the long and terrible record of environmental degradation which has gone on unchecked for over fifty years. The emergence of makeshift refineries as mechanisms of illegal access to oil resources by residents have accentuated the environmental and health problems for the people because the environment is being destroyed daily through Oil spillage and disposal of waste from crude refining across the creeks and waterways. The degradation of the environment from pollution of running waters to rivers and the destruction of farmlands is monumental and catastrophic. Solid waste management, as it appears, is the most pressing environmental challenge faced by urban and rural areas in the region and with the population explosion of the major cities, the problem of solid waste management is assuming alarming proportions. Government have initiated and implemented various policies to address the problems yet, the degradation subsists largely because the policies are not sustainable. Keywords: Environmental Challenges, Niger Delta, Oil Industry, Pollution, Sustainable Policies DOI: 10.7176/DCS/9-7-03 Publication date:July 31st 201

Election and violence in 2016 rerun elections in Rivers State, Nigeria

Nigeria’s democracy suffers from special problems of free, fair, non-credible, and violent elections drowned in vote buying. To be stable, democracy must be deemed legitimate by the people and will not be valued unless it deals effectively with social problems and achieves a modicum of order and justice. The 2016 Rerun elections in Rivers State revealed threats against election officials, violation of human rights of voters and citizens by non-state armed groups and state security forces energized by politicians. Pervasive corruption and the resulting political instability make for very poor investment climate. Unfortunately, without growing investment in legitimate enterprise, corruption and electoral violence will retain their appeals to the army of unemployed youths. The paper therefore examined the numerous factors impeding constitutional democracy in Nigeria. This paper took a step further to demonstrate how some of these factors exacerbate the challenge of development. In doing this, our overarching philosophical framework is that the nature of the state is dialectically related to the securitization of political contestations, monetization of the electoral process and violence. The paper also argued that the role of youth in electoral violence is an evitable consequence of structural violence in society and the nature of the Nigerian state.Keywords: Nigeria’s democracy, special problems, violation of human rights, corruption and poor investment climat

Nigeria’s Contemporary Security Challenges: Herders – Farmers Conflict and Banditry

Banditry and the violent conflicts between herders and farmers in Nigeria have become potentially dangerous in recent time resulting in humanitarian emergencies as thousands have been killed and many more uprooted from their homes while both the Federal and State government appears clueless on how best to contain the conflicts. The spread of the conflict to southern states of the country is aggravating the fragile relations among ethnic nationalities and religious groups. President Buhari, a Muslim and Fulani, has been accused of allowing the attacks to continue, and his Vice President, Professor Osibanjo, a Christian, has been faulted for failing to speak out. At the heart of the conflicts are dispute over grazing on farmlands and cattle rustlings; expansion of agriculturist population and cultivated land at the expense, deteriorating environmental condition such as desertification; breakdown in traditional conflict resolution mechanisms of land and water disputes, drug abuse, proliferation of small arms and outright criminality, all of which points to a national security failure. The loss of faith in the national security architecture which assumes the form of creation of Special Security Forces, resort to self-help by state governments and citizens’ groups, anti-grazing laws against ECOWAS protocol that allows unrestricted movement of animals for grazing across the countries in the sub-region and the culture of impunity. This paper examines the fundamental issues surrounding banditry and the Herders – Farmers conflict in Nigeria with a view to highlight its implications for national security in contemporary times. It is argued here that considering the seeming intractability of these conflicts and violence, it appears that the security architecture of the country has been hijacked and the Nigerian state has ceased to be in full control and command of the national security situation especially as the safety of life and property can no longer be guaranteed. The security regime has been hijacked, undermined, and compromised by non-state actors who operate confidently with reckless abandon and little decency and respect for human life. Keywords: Herders-Farmers conflict, Banditry, Ethic nationalities, Small arms, Security challenges, and Criminality. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-17-04 Publication date:October 31st 202

Socio-economic implications of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

After half of a century as a major oil producer, the Nigerian economy is yet to diversify; thus, remains dominated by primary activities. Whereas oil and gas activities directly employ a negligible number of Nigerians, the industry impacts on the overall economy of the country. However, with large resource windfalls, limited technical capacity, and weak check and balances, the scope for inefficiency, corruption, and elite capture of Nigeria‘s oil-driven economy is substantial. Consequently, the arrival of COVID-19 further exposed the fragility of the economy. As a theoretical paper, the researcher relied on data from secondary sources which yielded quantitative and qualitative information. The secondary data were derived mainly from journals, books and empirical case studies on the impact of pandemics on global production of petroleum, the Nigerian economy, and the overall social sector. News media analysis, government bulletins, and relevant data from civil society organizations, State Security Forces, and Corporate organizations on the debilitating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were also reviewed. The paper revealed that the socio-economic implications of the pandemic derived from fall in global oil price, policy interventions by the government such as bans on certain types of activities, closure of borders, state lockdowns, school closure and social distancing policies, all of which resulted in disruptions felt in all the sectors of the economy and society. Thus, it is suggested here that efforts must be made to address poverty just as there is an urgent need to improve on the healthcare sector. Unemployment should be tackled positively while government should place greater emphasis on technology and other modern methods of imparting knowledge

Managing Local Impacts of Oil and Gas Business: Local Content, Environment, Transparency and Accountability Issues

This paper presents a critical analysis of the place of Nigeria in global oil production, the history of oil exploration in Nigeria, its correlation with federal government’s revenue and how oil is fuelling crisis in the Niger Delta. A brief profile of the role of Niger Delta in the oil and gas business and the benefits of oil to the inhabitants of the area was also presented with the aim of analysing the local impacts of the petro-economy, the extent of implementation of local content, community participation in management of oil related revenues and the issue of transparency and accountability in this very important sector. Attempts were also made to identify significant areas in the oil and gas business requiring urgent attention. The paper concludes by looking at future prospects of the oil economy for the local communities and recommended crucial ways of ensuring sustainable oil production in Nigeria and attaining sustainable development in the Niger Delta. Keywords: Environment, Local content, Global oil production, Federal government revenue, Managing local impacts of oil and gas production, Oil Transparency and Accountability

Application of 13% Derivation Fund in Akwa Ibom State: Matters Arising

At the inception of the current democratic regime in 1999, non-implementation of 13% derivation formula was a source of much agitations which metamorphosed from minor unorganized hostilities to highly sophisticated cocktail of militant organizations, and criminal gangs which fed on agitations for fair play in development of the region which metamorphosed from minor unorganized hostilities to highly sophisticated cocktail of militant organizations, bringing governors of the Niger Delta states into closer alliance in quest for better existential conditions for their people. Against the backdrop of the activities of the kleptomaniac governing elites, it appears that allocating more money to the States may not be a guarantee that the funds will be used for the purpose for which they were appropriated. Consequently, the establishment of an institution charged solely with the responsibility of applying the derivation funds to address the nagging developmental needs of the inhabitants of the oil producing communities in the state is recommended. Keywords: 13 Percent derivation fund, Oil bearing communities, Niger Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Development DOI: 10.7176/DCS/10-10-06 Publication date:October 31st 202

Election and violence in 2016 rerun elections in Rivers State, Nigeria

Nigeria’s democracy suffers from special problems of free, fair, non-credible, and violent elections drowned in vote buying. To be stable, democracy must be deemed legitimate by the people and will not be valued unless it deals effectively with social problems and achieves a modicum of order and justice. The 2016 Rerun elections in Rivers State revealed threats against election officials, violation of human rights of voters and citizens by non-state armed groups and state security forces energized by politicians. Pervasive corruption and the resulting political instability make for very poor investment climate. Unfortunately, without growing investment in legitimate enterprise, corruption and electoral violence will retain their appeals to the army of unemployed youths. The paper therefore examined the numerous factors impeding constitutional democracy in Nigeria. This paper took a step further to demonstrate how some of these factors exacerbate the challenge of development. In doing this, our overarching philosophical framework is that the nature of the state is dialectically related to the securitization of political contestations, monetization of the electoral process and violence. The paper also argued that the role of youth in electoral violence is an evitable consequence of structural violence in society and the nature of the Nigerian state.Keywords: Nigeria’s democracy, special problems, violation of human rights, corruption and poor investment climat

The commodification of violence in the Niger Delta

In the post 9-11 period, unpacking the competing representations of mounting violence in the Niger Delta is both a sensitive matter and crucial to critiquing the foreign militarization of the Gulf of Guinea. The representation of the Niger Deltan crisis in the global media is not unrelated to speculative profiteering on oil futures markets, which is receiving increased criticism from regulators. Consequently, although our main focus here is the rise of contemporary militia activity in Rivers State and the competitive political violence related to it, we wish to make a series of linked arguments concerning the region's representation. First, the spotlight on the state in Nigerian academic analysis of the Delta crisis manifests broader disputes over federal control and territorially-embedded resources (oil, agriculture, palm oil, labour) in which the region's social movements have been central actors. Historically, these movements formed part of regional and tribally-identified resistance groups that emerged through decolonization, manifesting the crystallization of ethnicity under indirect rule. But focusing on the Nigerian federal state tends to lead to inattention to global speculative exploitation and tends to confirm the private oil industry's own representation of the 'risks' it faces in the Niger Delta. The violent context permits the corporations to make windfall profits, even while they claim it causes them 'losses'. If one were to employ, instead, the late Charles Tilly's reading of the state as an organised criminal syndicate, the Nigerian state's role as facilitator of global capitalist windfalls in the transnational oil market might receive the attention it deserves. We also wish to suggest that resistance against the authority of the federal government echoes with contemporary global struggles (e.g. in Latin America) for resource sovereignty, but in a form that is masked by the crystallization of ethnicity as the lynchpin of socio-political organization