PEROUSE DE MONTCLOS Marc-Antoine (2017) Politics of rebellion and the sharing of wealth in Nigeria

Abstract:
This article investigates the crucial issue of the redistribution of oil wealth in the Nigerian federation. Following the 2015 elections, it brings fresh perspectives to analyse the conflicting positions of the partisans of equalisation and militants for fiscal regionalism. The former speak of social justice and national unity. According to them, it is normal that the oil-rich Niger Delta in the South finance the development of the poorest regions in the North. On the opposite side, the advocates of ‘resource control’ argue for a ‘genuine’ federalism, with a very different approach. For them, the situation requires the implementation of the ‘principle of derivation’ whereby the states of the federation should control 100% of their resources or, at minimum, receive an income equivalent to their contribution to the federal budget. This political conflict gives sense to a Niger Delta rebellion which is often understood as sheer criminality. Yet the argument for ‘resource control’ in the Niger Delta is based on premises that are contested in this article.

Keywords:
Nigeria – Oil – Curse – Federation – Rent - Niger Delta

Tags: Nigeria, Oil, Curse, Federation, Rent, Niger Delta