Contending Issues in the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria - Journal of ...

Chapter IX: The Politics and Policies of Oil Deregulation in Nigeria:
Implications and Policy Suggestions
income lower than the national average of $280 per annum and that,
in terms of delivery of health, education and other social services,
these states were the most backward in the country. To a large extent
the political leaders in these states are responsible for the large scale
graft that has made economic and social development in the region
difficult, if not impossible.
Whichever reason adduced by the government of non-oil
producing states, the fact still remains that the situation, as appalling
as it is, cannot be used as an excuse or justification for denying the
oil producing states a fairer share of the total national revenue. There
is a clear case of injustice here and a nation cannot be built or survive
on rampart injustice. The federal Government that gets over 51 per
cent of the total oil revenue is even more wasteful, as are the state
and local governments. Almost on a daily basis there are press
reports about huge federal financial scams, running into billions of
naira.
But no one in the federal government has used the argument
to call for a reduction in the share of the federal government in the
federation account. And there is no doubt that the northern
establishment that has refused to give way on this issue would take a
different view if the oil resources were in the North. But by a quirk of
nature most of the oil is from the part of Nigeria that has little or no
political clout to make good its demand.
Oil revenue, and the manner it is shared, is vital for the peace and
stability of this country. The struggle for the control of oil resources
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