As a Nigerian, it is important to understand some basic things about the system of governance in Nigeria and why it is so. The construct of federalism, which originates with the concept of intergovernmental relations, dates back to the Greek civilization. There are three major tribes in Nigeria namely Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. This is so because where federal principles apply, the various ethnic groups that cannot or dont form majority to produce large part may have the opportunity of governing themselves within their federating unit controlled by them. 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Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system. Besides the Big Three - Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, there are other macro and micro ethnic minorities in the country. /ProcSet [/PDF /Text ] In this article, i will comprehensively discuss the reasons for federalism in Nigeria. Required fields are marked *. To avert this domination, states unite to form a strong, virile and stable union capable of withstanding external attacks. Hon. Minority Marginalization 3.6 6. At the heart of these crises are weak democratic institutions, which are sustained by bad leadership and a culture of impunity. This simply means that federalism in Nigeria provides accommodation, an institutional arrangement which gives the component units equal and coordinate jural status. But nigeria today became the proudable and bearable country, . Common national, racial, religious, cultural linguistic or social ties have often contributed to the unification of political unit. << READ ALSO: Reasons for political apathy in Nigeria, Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria. What were the reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria? 2012, Issues and Trends in Nigeria's Development. The Evolution, Development and Practice of Federalism in Nigeria Charas Madu Tella, Ahmed Wali Doho, Aliyu Bapeto Abstract Federalism is a political philosophy in which members of a group are. Another important factor that necessitated federalism in Nigeria was the political culture of the country. Parliamentary and Unitary system of government were in operation in Nigeria between 1914 and 1946. 2023, Bscholarly LLC. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. By the time Nigeria got her independence, the various party involved had been regionally based. This is because federalism is presented as a panacea in organizing distinct political identities under a state. /F5 18 0 R Everybody would likely agree that the conscious awareness and awakening of the course of who is who invariably determines who gets what, perhaps when and how. Excellent, thanks a lot f It represents a synthetic between two perspectiveneess; one is that politics of the United States should produce the good commonwealth and the other is that the principal task of politics is to create an open political market. Best information base for latest information both national and international. The effectiveness of linking communications has been a vital factor in geographical unit. It is also an undisputed fact that the Hausas and Yorubas fought Biafra to keep the unity of Nigeria. So, without wasting much time, what is a federal system of government? "There are reasons why some nation-states opt for federalism. For citation see: http://www.cejiss.org/issue-detail/biafra-s-resurgence-state-failure-insecurity-and-separatist-agitations-in-nigeria. It was believed that federal system of government would take care of the interest of the minority and human rights that had been the fear of the minority under colonial rule. The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.8, no.2, . Keywords: Civil war, Secession, Self-determination, Nationalism and Restructuring, This work critically examines the issues undermining the unification of Nigeria, using indicators and concepts including failed state, separatist agitation and insecurity. In other not to control only some parts of the big country, Nigeria, the colonial masters thought it wise to divide the country into different component units that will be represented in the government. The federal government however has occupied a very strong position vis--vis the State and Local government since the 1970's in Nigeria. Unfortunately, since the formation of Nigeria and adoption of this system of governance in the country has not seen much effect of federalism. of diversities helps in a nations decision to adopt the aggregative or disaggregative type of federalism. 33 The Marriage Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990, sec 18 specifically stipulates: "If either party to an intended marriage, not being a Consent widower or widow, is under twenty-one years of age, the written consent of the father, or if he be dead or of unsound mind or absent from Nigeria, of the mother, or if both be dead or of unsound mind or absent from Nigeria, of the . Evidently, Nigerias political culture was federalism friendly and that gave rise to easy adoption of federalism. Such arrangement would inter alia breed neglect, frustration and aggression; no thanks to the red-tape inherent in unitarism. Many Nigerian ethnic groups began to agitate for their own states. Also see: Differences between Cross-offers and counter-offers, five reasons for the adoption of federalism in nigeria. Federalism: Federal Features in the Colonial State." A chronology of critical events in Nigeria's political development from the adoption of a federal system in 1954 to the present is provided in Table 1. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. % Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. REASONS FOR ADOPTION OF FEDERALISM According to IDEA (2015:3), federalism is adoption for the following reasons: Scale: This credited the operation of federalism to the adoption of democracy which allowed for citizens to participate directly in political life. The paper suggested that fiscal and political restructuring as panacea for the instituted conflicts and underdevelopment caused by quasi federalism through ongoing review of the 1999 constitution. /Length 14727 THE THEME OF IMAGERY AND SYMBOLISM IN THE IPOB SECESSIONIST STRUGGLE, Abdul's Assignment on 711 Dr. Usman Mohammed, A nation divided against itself: Biafra and the conflicting online protest discourses, Ethnicity, Political Exclusion and the Resurgence of Separatism in South-Eastern, Nigeria, Hands Behind their backs: Making a case for a region-centred restructuring framework, THE EFFECT OF CRIMINAL INJUSTICE AGAINST EASTERN NIGERIA AND THE DEMAND FOR SELF-DETERMINATION BY IPOB. %PDF-1.5 /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] The history of Ijaw, Edo, Igala, Yoruba, Igbo, Nupe and Hausa Kingdoms are enriched with social-political relationships that existed before the emergence of the white man. 7 Topics . Federal System of Government/Federalism | Week 8. Over the years, it is quite obvious that Nigeria is one of the few countries that adopted federal system of Government in Africa, a system that envisages autonomy for every sect of its authorities (federal, state and local government respectively). The Attorney General sought to know whether the 13% sharing formula of the oil producing states should include revenue from oil producing states should include revenue from oil production activities off shore. The size of Nigeria is therefore managed and maintained with federalism. So for effective governance of a country of this big size, federalism has to be adopted. Also, there was a demand for more local regions by all these ethnic interest groups which was what led to the creation of new states. welcome, and thanks for reading us. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide stream One of the major reasons why countries choose federalism is because of size. Federalism is a type of government in which the sovereign authority of political power is usually divided between two units. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. FOR CLIENTS OUTSIDE NIGERIA. As a result, issues relating to marginalization, economic imbalance, social alienation, ethnic suspicion and superior-subordination contestation are recurring malaises in the system. Journal of public administration and Management Vol.6,No.12, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. June 1,2022 2013 PP.100-107, This paper explores the issue of unification federalism in Nigeria, which has been an obstacle to peace, development and threats to security .The findings from an extensive reading of related materials suggest that, the root of contemporary political conflict and underdevelopment in Nigeria political landscape shows clearly in the area of imbalance political structures that were established before and after independence. Before the amalgamation of the Northern Protectorate and the Southern Protectorate in 1914, there was nothing like Nigeria. /Filter /DCTDecode So for effective governance of a country of this big size, federalism has to be adopted. Justice Udo Udoma is of the view that regionalism was introduced by the colonialists in order to divide and rule, and weaken true national unity in Nigeria. five reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria explained. Notwithstanding the above reasons for the adoption of Nigerian federalism, we can also mention some specific factors peculiar to Nigeria. It forays into the inherent issues underlying the Biafran movement and the ways in which those issues, as well as Biafran agitation, are inimical to Nigeria's development. In the first place, therefore, the contemplation of a federal pact is one of an overwhelming outcome of the emphatic need to handle the above concerns acceptably. This type of government is also known as a "federation" or a "federal state" in common parlance (eg., United States of America). stream It advocates good governance and a participatory approach to constitutional review as the foundations for strong constitutionalism in Nigeria. $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ? CLICK HERE To Pay With Debit Card ($15) GHANA - Make Payment of 80 GHS to MTN MoMo, 0553978005, Douglas Osabutey. However, where there is a conflict of authority between the federal government and regional government, the federal authority supersedes. Reasons For The Adoption Of Federalism In Nigeria. The first military head of state, General J.T.U Aguiyi Ironsi for instance was interested in a unitary Nigeria and he scrapped federalism. i dont have my first school leaving certificate. Despite that, instead of unity, cooperation and consensus, there has been apparent division, disagreement, and dissension. Naturally, federal system of government has some distinctive features namely: 1. } !1AQa"q2#BR$3br Federalism was basically introduced to bring about peace and unity in the different regions of the country. 7. Ethnic, Religious and Geographical Factor 3.5 5. federalism, a heavily coercive effort by a nondemocratic centralizing power to put together a multinational state, some of the components of which had previously been independent states. REVENUE ALLOCATION IN NIGERIA: NEED FOR REFORM? Thus, federalism seemed to be the only option left for Nigeria because it allows for popular participation in government. It is believed by many that this was one of the reasons why Nigeria adopted a federalist system. As at the time of independence, the population of Nigeria was estimated at 45.21 million. The paper contends that unitary federalism in Nigeria is an imposition and extension of colonial and military entrenched inequalities in the Nigerian state. 7 Topics Revenue Allocation in Nigeria | Week 9. Your email address will not be published. I love this article,very educating and interesting or this it really helped me, Your email address will not be published. And even now we can see the population of Nigeria compared to other countries in Africa. The main goal of the Convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation, the agreement that governed the 13 colonies and was adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, shortly after the end of the Revolutionary War . Keywords: Federalism, Nigeria, ethnic groups, federal character principle . Federalism is a mixed form of government where there is a general government always known as the central or federal government and regional governments which could be provincial or states governments. Reasons for Federalism 3.1 Reasons for a federal order rather than separate states or secession 3.2 Reasons for preferring federal orders over a unitary state 4. All rights reserved. Local Government In Nigeria : Definition, Functions, And Importance, Bad Leadership Causes, Effects And Solutions In Nigeria, How To Calculate OAU Aggregate Score for Admission, Best Education Websites and Blogs In Nigeria (2021), Lakzeland Regional High School Board Of Education, Student Loan Planning Educational Webinar With Justin Rice, Is Agricultural Chemicals a Good Career Path? Send the Following Details on WhatsApp ( 08143831497) After Payment. In the words of Richards, regionalism was introduced to strengthen unity in diversity. In my view, federalism is a good system for Nigeria. Economic factors in adoption of federalism in Nigeria are not unconnected with the issues of resource control, wealth generation and redistribution, and income distribution. That notwithstanding, The origin and concept of federalism boasts of a very popular definition by an American scholar, K.C. The origin of federalism in Nigeria can be traced to the colonial era. Federalism therefore involves the linkage of individuals, groups and policies in lasting but limited union in such a way as to provide for the energetic pursuit of common goals while maintaining the respective integrities of all parties. Also it is more useful to expansiate on them. This was many times more the population of most African countries then. In 1954, the Nigerian founding fathers opted for a federal system of government despite its inherent challenges in a pluralistic society. Emphasis on indigeneity, the federal revenue allocation formula and the increasing formalization of the 'federal character' principle, to mention only a few issues, increase sources of tensions and potential conflicts. Resource control: 3.7 7. In examining post-independence constitution-making in Nigeria, this chapter finds that military rule blighted Nigerias capacity to respond appropriately to the challenges of federalism. Samuel is bent on changing the legal profession by building Web and Mobile Apps that will make legal research a lot easier. 19 more states were created in 1976 in order to score more political advantage by the Murtala-Obasanjo regime against those that favor General Yakubu Gowon. Defence, Security, Economy and Development, Chigozirim Odinkalu, Ebenebe Ernest Onyeka, Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies (eJECS), International Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences(IJRESS), Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation, African Journal of Governance and Development, Calabar Journal of Politics and Administration. So, what are the reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria? To begin with, the title of this book, " Last Train to Biafra " is allegorically evocative of the severing of, or rather the dead relationship between Nigeria and Biafra. In federalism, there is accountability, there is transparency. As one of the most effective frameworks for governing a pluralistic society, Nigeria adopted Federalism to manage her multi-ethnic state. Brad Simpson (2014) The Biafran secession and the limits of self-determination, Journal of Genocide Research, 16:2-3, 337-354, WARN POLICY BRIEF THE NIGERIA STATE AND THE BIAFRA QUESTION: THREATS TO OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIONAL COHESION, LAST TRAIN TO BIAFRA - Memories of a Biafran Child: A Personal Family Experience, Fiscal Federalism, Ethnic Minorities and the National Question in Nigeria: Revisiting the Case of the Niger Delta People, WARN POLICY BRIEF WARN POLICY BRIEF THE NIGERIA STATE AND THE BIAFRA QUESTION: THREATS TO OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIONAL COHESION, Biafra Resurgence: State Failure, Insecurity and Separatist Agitations in Nigeria, Biafra Separatism: Causes, Consequences and Remedies, The Nigerian State and the Quest for Restructuring: Implications for Democratic Consolidation, THE DISINTEGRATION OF YUGOSLAVIA: A LESSON FOR NIGERIA, MASSOB AND IPOB SELF DETERMINATION AND THE NIGERIA STATE, Ndi Igbo, Leadership, Nationhood, the Nigerian Dilemma and Why We Are All Biafrans, Death of a nation - Biafra and the Nigerian question.pdf, Exploring the Dimensions of Secessionist Agitations: Security Threats and Implications for Nigeria 1966-2016, REVISITING THE NIGERIA-BIAFRA WAR: THE INTANGIBLES OF POST- WAR RECONCILIATION, The Ambiguity of Constitutional Silence on State Secession in Nigeria: Looking Beyond Politics of Compassion and Prejudice, West Africa Insight Secessionist Movement ENGLISH Version, Situation Analysis on Public Safety and Security Governorship Election in Anambra State, IGBOS, A PEOPLE THRIVING AMIDST ADVERSITY: WHO ARE THE IGBOS, Pro-Biafran Activists and the call for a Referendum: A Sentiment Analysis of 'Biafraexit' on Twitter after UK's vote to leave the European Union, NIGERIA: WHAT IS TO BE DONE? There is a general opinion that Nigeria was formed because of the interest of the British and they had to govern the country under a federation system. Promoters of the idea were of the view that the To learn more, view ourPrivacy Policy. Some of the reasons include preservation of identities. The powers that exist between the federal and state government also depends on the constitution. Also, Read: Local Government In Nigeria : Definition, Functions, And Importance. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Nigeria. There must exist supremacy of the constitution, which implies that laws passed by the authority in the federal arrangement, if contrary to the constitution shall be declared to be ultra votes. Reasons for a state to adopt a federal system include the need to reflect linguistic, economic and cultural differences of a population, especially one that is concentrated geographically. However, that is not so in a federal government system. 4 0 obj Mainly of telling who is who in a given society. Then Nigeria was organised into a federation that had three regions. was federalism friendly and that gave rise to easy adoption of . The first military head of state was dethroned for adopting unitary system of government yet successive military administration in practice follow unitary principle instead of federal system. Political institutions, Kinship ties, Origin of towns and their cultural antecedents are enriched with similar history. It should be noted that the Federal Military Government had earlier by fiat taken proceeds from offshore prospecting and drilling activities directly under federal eminent domain. Size and population of a country is among the determinants of the level of power and influence which a country commands. This was a period when long efforts were made to identify the legal relationships between the Leagues and the City States (Mogi, 1931:21). Between 1960 and 1996, the three regions have been divided into smaller entities which are now known as states and their boundaries were reorganised. This was one of the major reasons for the creation of the newer and smaller states after the independence. But before moving to the crux of this article, we will be looking briefly at the meaning and history of federalism in Nigeria. This duplicity of government is not alien to a federal structure as identified, except that in the Nigerian case, there is ineffable strife for dominance. Federalism as a system of government which is meant to help to advance good governance and development of a multi-ethnic and big country like Nigeria. endobj V(B8eDK@sx AK hG~ u;6DV,pwP# _ O4C sR 8_yC ! 9S ) ?roh _ O4C sR & Pf?? AK kyC?& Pf;_Hu j_ G$: 5/ politicization of ethnicity or the ethnicization of the politics of state creation that Nigeria has witnessed in recent years. Power Sharing Formula Unfortunately, to suit their interests and political agenda, the federal and state governments over time immemorial have maintained great level of . Biafrans who are geographically in the South and SouthEast of Ni-geria feel and believe that their economic and developmental prowess are not well represented in the Nigerian state, and this lack of representation leads to marginalization. RESTRUCTURE OR DISINTEGRATE, OFFICIAL CORRUPTION AND THE DILEMA OF INSTABILITY IN NIGERIA, The Rationale for AfSol in Peace and Security: The Global, National and Regional Precipitants, Agitation for Restructuring and Resource Control in Nigeria's Federalism: Issues, Perspectives and the Way Forward, Giving Peace a Chance in Nigeria: The Case for a Preventive Diplomacy, Framing of Neo-Biafra Agitations in Selected Nigerian Newspapers, CRISES OF FEDERALISM IN NIGERIA AND THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE BELT REGION, Social Media and Hate Speech: Analysis of Comments on Biafra Agitations, Nigeria. The fear of ethnic groups overlapping regional boundaries and the loyalties of castes cutting of some extent across provincial political boundaries also encourage some groups to support wider federal unions. Payment Details. The British in their quest for economic wealth and geo-political edges over other Europeans in Africa made Nigeria the largest British colony in Africa. five reasons for the adoption of federalism in nigeria Another factor that prompted the adoption of federalism in Nigeria is the fear of insecurity and the desire for union. Federalism can be defined as a system of government in which political powers of the state are shared between the central government and other component units. A large body of literature exists on Nigeria's fiscal federalism particularly with reference to revenue allocation. If the desire to remain separate does not exist, the the association will not be federal but unitary with some delegation of powers to local government. The possible reasons for the practice of federalism in Nigeria are several, and have, for instance, been presented as British imposition targeted at a post-colonial relationship, or as a. It is important to also reason that small states are prone to domination and sometimes control by the big ones. Population of the country Therefore, the problem with federalism in Nigeria is the mix-application or non-application of this clause especially as it has to do with power distribution (Awa, 1977). On the contrary it has also been suggested that is created more diversity and conflict for the nation to grapple with. Required fields are marked *. For instance, such noun phrases like: nationality, nation, citizenship, identity, ethnicity, ethnic group, indigene, state of origin, etc, are inherently conflict laden, with abundant intellectual understandings. For a better explanation of the theory of federalism, I highly recommend that you watch the video below. Besides this desire, there was also the presence of certain socio-economic conditions (Babalola, 2013 . First, how to properly place peoples, better still - indigenes and ethnic groupings, in their relevant socio-economic categories; that is, in line with the oil windfalls. The constitution emphasized areas of authority between the central government and the regions. The fear of marginalization by the minority in a unitary system of government has, to a great extent, influenced the majority state support for federating states. Nigeria as a nation has succeeded in commanding influence among member states by the virtue of its size. In this paper I explain the hows and whys of the minorities continued disadvantaged status in spite of the far-reaching steps that have been taken to ameliorate, if not eliminate, the problem. This prototype edition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov will remain an unofficial informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. The unity here is brought about by the desire of the component units of the federation to form union in respect of some matters.
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