Abstract
This paper argues that the missing link in the effort to resolve the Niger Delta crisis is the neglect of indigenous organizations. Scholars and policy makers have underplayed the role of self-organized institutions in the governance of community affairs in the Niger Delta. The fact that stakeholders in the development process operate on parallel lines has been the bane of good governance and development in the region. These parties do not communicate with each other and thus have not been able to harness their efforts in the development process. Consequently, the problems in the region have become complex, and hydra-headed. This paper therefore considers imperative a multifaceted strategy that can simultaneously address these problems, and recommends polycentric planning and community self-governance embracing the application of eight African development models that cut across several sectors of the economy in the Niger Delta.
