Home > Foreign Languages, Cross-Cultural Studies > Vol 1 No 1 June 2013 Abstract 1
Ethnic Militancy and Democracy in Nigeria: The Question of Resource Control in Niger Delta
Ola Abegunde
Journal of Foreign Languages, Cultures and Civilizations, 1(1), pp. 01-11.

Abstract
The proliferation of ethnic organizations and its mobilization has been a political instrument of the Nigerian elite since post-independence, the same way nationalism was in the decolonization battle. The basic issue of contention in Niger delta and among other federating units is the rights of the ‘people’ to determine their own destiny in the Nigerian federal system. This has been compounded by the heterogeneous nature of the Nigerian state, its weak nature, formula and politics of resource sharing, and leadership challenge. However, the agitation for resource self-determination is justified in a true federal structure, and it is on this background that ethnic militancy in the Nigeria oil bearing Niger delta is examined. Resources play a significant role of peaceful co-existence in the lives of any human social organization. When properly managed, it present and serves as a means of livelihood to man. If man does not have resources, he would face extinction of life. To this length, for human to live, he must garner resources, control and distribute them within the society for the betterment and development of the society. This paper examines the contentious nature of resource control and its distribution under the present Nigeria democratic federation. It argues that agitation for resource control either political or economic has a direct correlation with ethnic militancy. The paper submits that, the operation of true federalism and good governance in Nigeria has to be accomplished by meaningful devolution of powers at the local levels to ensure that the federating units have better control over the wealth derived from the natural resources in their territories.

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Abegunde, Ola. (2013). Ethnic Militancy and Democracy in Nigeria: The Question of Resource Control in Niger Delta. Journal of Foreign Languages, Cultures and Civilizations, 1(1), pp. 01-11.

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Dr. Emmanuel Oladunjoye ABEGUNDE ABEGUNDE is a Nigerian, he obtained his B.sc, M.sc and P.hD. in Political Science in the University of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, now Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. He just completed his post-doctoral fellowship in Politics, Peace Studies and International Relations in June 2013 in South Africa. Dr Abegunde joined the service of Ekiti State University on 14th of March 2005 as an Assistant Lecturer and he has since been promoted through the ranks to lecturer 1. He has published over twenty articles in both local and international journals; and he has attended many international conferences.