Abstract

This paper contends that the inverse application of the ideals of federalism is central to the festering crisis and bloodletting in the Niger-delta that have had a long history of injustice visited on the people. The population have in like manner responded with violence. From imperial humiliation through colonial exploitation, the region has journeyed to the present crisis of “internal slavery and colonialism” by the combined actions and inactions of a cabal that has chosen to collaborate with foreign interests. It affirms that as the region boils over, the option left for the beneficiaries of the series of injustices against the people is to reverse their inhuman actions and institutionalize equity and justice with a measure of good conscience that should heal the wounds inflicted on the people for long. The paper concludes that a pure return to true federalism is a direct cure for the agitations in the region. This is anchored on the fact that all cosmetic palliatives concocted by succeeding regimes has had little or no effect on the character of restiveness in the region.

Key words: Federalism, resource rights, resource control, Niger-Delta, multinational corporations.