Dependence on oil may portend danger for Nigeria ― Don

A professor of Political Science at  Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Oyo State, Professor William Ehwarieme, has stated that there might be danger ahead for Nigeria depending on its oil resources.

Ehwarieme stated this recently, while delivering the maiden inaugural lecture of the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences of the university and the university’s 15th inaugural lecture, noting that the future of Nigeria “is inextricably tied to the future of its oil resources or perhaps, any other resources and how they would be managed.”

The professor, who delivered the lecture entitled: “Managing a Forced Marriage: ‘Armed forces, resources and statehood,’ stated that the country is currently passing through a forced marriage among its many ethnic groups, which is only being oiled by its oil resources.

He said that the marriage of convenience among the ethnic nationalities, which is already being threatened by heightened calls for the renegotiation of the nationhood, might collapse if the resources from oil are exhausted.

He said: “The future of Nigerian statehood is inextricably tied to the future of its oil resources or perhaps, any other resources and how they are managed…oil is a non-renewable, exhaustible and now replaceable resource that could become irrelevant in the face of cleaner alternatives to fossil fuel.

“Oil has lived up to its billing as a lubricant, oiling the hurting joints at which many of the people have been welded together by force. What happens to Nigeria if the oil runs dry, becomes irrelevant as a result of cheaper and cleaner alternatives or suddenly decides to relocate to the territories of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria?

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Put differently, oil has been providing the fuel for love in the forced marriage that is the Nigerian state. What happens if the fuel is exhausted?”

According to the don, 29 years of military incursion into politics and governance in the country and the way and manner in which they managed its resources have hurt the basis of statehood, as the country’s federalism, which permitted the federating units a measure of autonomy and control of their resources was destroyed by the Armed Forces.

He maintained that centralization of resources and the taking over of many responsibilities from the federating units as carried out by the Armed Forces, which ceded too much influence to the Federal Government, has brought the country to its sorry state.

Present at the occasion were the vice-chancellor, ACU, Professor Dapo Asaju; the deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Jacob Adeniyi; Registrar, Mrs. Adenike Fatogun; Bursar, Pastor S.J. Olojede and the University Librarian, Dr. Beatrice Fabunmi amongst others.