Analysing the Factors that Beset the Successful Resolution of Chieftaincy Disputes in Muyuka Sub-Division of the South-West Region of Cameroon

2025-08-16T12:14:15+00:00

This research aims at analysing the factors that hinder successful resolution of chieftaincy disputeS in Muyua sub-division of the South-West Region of Cameroon. By examining the local governance systems, succession practices, and community expectations, the study seeks to provide insights that can inform effective conflict resolution strategies that align with both cultural practices and modern legal standards. Even though certain measures have been put in place to ensure that chieftaincy disputes are resolved without much difficulty, this is not always the case. In order to attain our objective, a qualitative research design, particularly a case study approach is adopted. Books and journals served as our principal data source, additional data stems from interviews with traditional leaders, community members, and government officials. Out findings reveal that, economic pressures, particularly competition over land and resources, exacerbate tensions and complicate the resolution of disputes. The lack of a clear, consistent legal framework further hinders effective conflict resolution. Moreover, misinformation by candidates and political actors during resolution processes complicates the work of administrators, leading to prolonged conflicts. The study however recommends strengthening the legal framework governing chieftaincy by formalizing pre-chieftaincy consultative talks and enhancing the role of traditional councils in decision-making processes.

War On Crude Oil Bunkering, "Friendship" With Solid Minerals Mining: Is Nigeria a Double-Faced State?

2025-10-02T12:41:37+00:00

Nigeria’s extractive economy is marked by a striking paradox: a militarised “war” on crude-oil bunkering in the Niger Delta unfolds alongside the state’s permissive stance toward the illicit solid-mineral mining in the North and Middle Belt. To unpack this contradiction, the study adopts a political ecology lens and a qualitative research design that is anchored in documentary and content analysis. The study utilized secondary data drawn from scholarly publications, government reports, policy briefs and credible media investigations, allowing for a critical interrogation of the narratives and silences that shape state responses to extractive activities. Findings reveal that selective governance in Nigeria is not a matter of weak institutional capacity but rather an intentional strategy of elite capture. Federal authorities deploy coercion and militarised violence when crude-oil revenues are threatened, yet tolerate and in some cases profit from informal solid-mineral extraction that sustains northern and central patronage networks. This asymmetric enforcement produces a geography of environmental injustice: oil-polluted creeks and devastated livelihoods in the Niger Delta on one hand and lead-poisoned mining communities in the North on the other. Beyond the ecological damage, the double standard normalises youth involvement in criminalised livelihoods, deepens regional grievances, erodes public trust in state institutions, and threatens federal cohesion. The article argues that such institutional hypocrisy inflates the long-term costs of environmental remediation and perpetuates inequitable resource politics. It concludes by recommending constitutional revenue reform, uniform environmental enforcement, transparency mandates, and community-centred remediation measures as essential steps toward transforming Nigeria from a “double-faced” to an equitable, accountable resource polity.

International Journal of Democracy and Development Studies

Analysing the Factors that Beset the Successful Resolution of Chieftaincy Disputes in Muyuka Sub-Division of the South-West Region of Cameroon

War On Crude Oil Bunkering, "Friendship" With Solid Minerals Mining: Is Nigeria a Double-Faced State?