Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has condemned Nigeria’s centralised control of natural resources, arguing that the system has entrenched injustice, fuelled insecurity and left resource-producing communities in persistent poverty and underdevelopment.
Diri spoke on Tuesday at the 2026 Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Bauchi, where he called for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s federal system and greater control of resources by the states.
The governor said the concentration of mineral and petroleum resources in the hands of the Federal Government had created a system in which resources were extracted from communities without commensurate development, thereby breeding resentment and instability.
“Resources are expropriated. Today, there is gold in Zamfara and other places, and what do we experience? Insecurity,” Diri said.
“Most of the insecurity is also traced to the discovery of gold in Zamfara.”
He argued that a country could not achieve lasting peace when communities responsible for generating substantial national wealth remained disconnected from the benefits of the resources extracted from their territories.
According to him, Nigeria’s present governance structure has departed from the fundamental principles of democracy, which, he said, should be anchored on justice, ethics and fairness.
“I believe that we have missed the road of democracy in Nigeria long ago,” he said.
“Democracy is about the rule of law, and it is built on three pillars: justice, ethics and fairness.”
Diri cited Oloibiri in Bayelsa, where commercial oil production began in Nigeria, as a glaring example of the contradiction inherent in the country’s resource management system.
“There is no justice where Oloibiri, that gave this country commercial oil production, is today a shadow of itself,” he said.
“And then all of us come to Abuja at the end of the month to share oil money. I don’t believe that that is what democracy is all about.”
The governor also faulted what he described as disparities in the allocation of local government areas and the distribution of federal resources.
He noted that Bayelsa, despite its enormous contribution to the national economy through oil production, has only eight local government areas, while some other states have significantly more.
“To my mind, there is total injustice where I have just eight local government areas, some other states have 40 local government areas and above, and the resources from my state are used to share to those local government areas,” he said.
“There is injustice. And whether I become president, the injustice continues. The unfairness continues.”
Diri further recalled the prolonged lack of road access to the headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, describing it as evidence of the neglect suffered by communities that contribute substantially to the nation’s wealth.
He said the council headquarters remained inaccessible by road for about 60 years before his administration completed a 630-metre bridge linking the area.
“The local government that brings so much money to Nigeria, Southern Ijaw Local Government, where I invited President Obasanjo, who graciously came, for 60 years they had no access to the headquarters of that local government,” he said.
“It is only recently that I concluded a 630-metre-long bridge to the headquarters of that local government.”
The governor maintained that Nigeria’s economic and security challenges were symptoms of deeper structural problems that could not be resolved without addressing the country’s federal arrangement.
He argued that genuine federalism would enable states to harness their natural resources, reduce dependence on federal allocations and give resource-producing communities a greater stake in their development.
“My dear leaders, my conclusion is that for democracy to thrive in Nigeria, there must be true federalism,” Diri declared.
He recalled that he had delivered a lecture on true federalism at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, about a year ago, stressing that the country could not continue to operate a system that concentrates enormous political and economic powers at the centre.
“And until Nigeria begins to practice federalism, we will have some pseudo-democratic, pseudo-autocratic, and sometimes even a tyrannical government in this country,” he said.
Diri urged the Federal Government and political leaders to pursue constitutional reforms capable of guaranteeing greater fairness in resource allocation, strengthening the federating units and promoting balanced development.
He warned that democracy could not thrive where political and economic power remained excessively concentrated at the centre while communities endowed with natural resources continued to grapple with poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment.
The governor, however, commended former President Goodluck Jonathan for sustaining the annual Democracy Dialogue, describing it as an important platform for national reflection and discussions on the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
“We must continue to join hands so that, at the end of the day, the country will be better for us all,” he added.
