CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN RIVERS STATE PERISCOPING THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE RIVERS STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A lot of scholars described Rivers State as a theater of conflicts. Between 1999 and 2011, the State recorded unprecedented number of conflicts in no fewer than sixty communities. Most of the conflicts predated 1999 and are prevalent to date. The conflicts defied both Executive and Judiciary remedies. Conflict management is assumed by both social scientists and policymakers as the principal responsibility of the Executive and Judicial arms of government. The role of the Legislature in this regards is assumed to be incidental, often limited to enactment of legislations to give effect to negotiated agreements or curb the proliferation of conflicts. This research therefore focuses on the involvement of the Rivers State House of Assembly in conflict management in Rivers State from 1999 to 2011. We adopted the doctrine of separation of powers as a framework of analysis and argued that the involvement of the Legislature; especially the Rivers State House of Assembly in conflict management within the period under review was as a result of the failure of both the Executive and the Judiciary to effectively manage conflicts. The study recommends the amendment of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for financial autonomy for the Legislature as a measure of ensuring the greater involvement of the Legislature in conflict management.