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

Contending Issues in the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria
Chapter X:
The Politics of Interventionist Policies and the Niger
Delta Crisis of Nigeria: Impacts and Challenges
By Clement Odiri Obagbinoko
Introduction
Nigeria’s post-colonial constitutional arrangement granted extensive
powers to the regions; making them effectively autonomous entities
and the revenue arrangements ensured that the regions had the
resources to carry out the immense responsibilities.
Under the 1960 and 1963 constitutions, a true federal system
made of up of strong states or regions and a central or federal
government with limited powers was instituted. Thus the following
features are worth noting.
1. Each region had its won separate constitution, in addition to
the federal government constitution.
2. Each region had its own separate coat of arms and motto,
from that of the federal government
3. Each region established its own separate semi-independent
mission in the U.K headed by ‘Agents General’
4. The regional government powers i.e where any matter was
not allocated to the regions or the federal government, it
automatically became a matter for regional jurisdiction.
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