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

Chapter II: The Niger Delta Crisis: The Political Economy of Fossil Fuels in
Nigeria
Angolans (Obasanjo, 1990: 124-125; Garba, 1986: 133; Fawole, 2003:
90-91). It was also termed to be a boon because the provision of basic
infrastructural amenities such as good road, pipe borne water,
electrification of villages that were left by the colonial lords as an area
of no importance to their economic ambition felt government
presence. On the elevation of the standard of living of the people, it
could be said that the Gowon government, through the introduction of
Udoji award provided Nigerians with the opportunity to play around,
and, the tourist sector experienced some boom. At the continental
level, Nigeria was able to promote the establishment of some regional
and sub-regional organisations. The ECOWAS, though partly formed
because of the lesson learnt during the Civil War in the state, it was
largely formed because of the increase in the foreign exchange realised
from the sales of crude oil. The Nigerian Trust Fund (NTF) established
within the African Development Bank (ADB) aimed at promoting the
leadership ambition of Nigeria in Africa. The $80 million capital base
released to the ADB was aimed at elevating the economic development
of less developed member states. The signing of the Lome 1
Convention was at the instance of Nigeria hegemonic position caused
by the overnight economic well being of the state; assumption of
leadership role within the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)
concretised government Africa’s manifest destiny to lead the
continent; and the need to promote the development of the Blacks in
Diaspora. As much as Nigeria was able to garner some prestige from
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