Given the territorially delineated cleavages abounding in nigeria and the historical legacy of divisions among ethnic groups, regions, and sections, the federal imperative was so fundamental that even military governmentscharacteristically unitarian, hierarchical, and centralistattached importance to the continuation of a federal system of government. 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. Pdf the evolution, development and practice of federalism in nigeria charas. The richards constitution of 1946 provided the ground work for the takeoff of the federal constitution. Aug 28, 2018 the origin of federalism in nigeria can be traced to when the british colony was reorganized into a federation of three regions in 1946. Federalism in nigeria refers to the devolution of selfgovernance by the west african nation of nigeria to its federated states, who share sovereignty with the federal government federalism has been present in nigeria since the former british colony was reorganized into a federation of three regions in 1946. A need for true federalism peaceful and prosperous in nigeria. Numerous ancient african civilizations settled in the region that is today nigeria, such as the kingdom of nri, the benin empire, and the oyo empire. Federalism in nigeria refers to the devolution of selfgovernance by the west african nation of. The pathologies of nigerian federalism and the quest for constitutional change the virtual reduction of the federal system into a conduit for the dissemination of centrally collected oil revenues to subnational communities and constituencies is nigeria s basic political pathology. Federalism is the mixed or compound mode of government, combining a general government the central or federal government with regional governments provincial, state, cantonal, territorial or other subunit governments in a single political system. This research work xrayed federalism in nigeria as the only basis upon which nigeria can remain united despite its diversity and peculiar conditions in which the different tribal groups live in and proffers solutions to the challenges of the practice of. Federalism is a political concept in which power to govern is shared between national, and subnational governments creating what is often called a federation arowolo.
Having firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under god, dedicated to the promotion of interafrican solidarity, world peace, international cooperation and understanding. This immediately raises a number of the complexities that beset this subject and that mechanistic discussions of it tend to ignore or obscure. Though earlier, governor bourdillion suggested the replacement of the provinces by regions which made arthur richard introduce such in 1946. Its distinctive feature, exemplified in the founding example of modern federalism by the. Problems of federalism in nigeria and solutions information. Therefore, the problem with federalism in nigeria is the mixapplication or nonapplication of this clause especially as it has to do with power distribution awa, 1977. Origin and evolution of federalism in nigeria nigerian. Attorney general of the federation and 35 ors,18 the supreme court held that section 2 2 of the 1999 constitution of nigeria reenacts the doctrine of federalism.
He explores the evolution of nigerian federalism through its various constitutional experiments and administrative redesigns, including those in. The origins of nigerian federalism federal governance. The constitution made provision for three regions in nigeria i. The paper traces the origin of nigerian federalism to colonial insinuations of conquest and divide and rule.
An evaluation of the origins, structure and features of nigerian. Federalism in nigeria is a product of the colonial administration. The relationship between the principle of derivation and resource control sam ugwu chijioke ph. However, the history of federal system in nigeria could be dated back to the period before the. Pdf the evolution, development and practice of federalism in. The study concludes that the issues highlighted above are subsumable under and can be captured in a political economy. This is similar to canadian model of political organization. Thus, one also may find a definition according to which federalism in its broadest sense marks a multilayer or pluralistic concept of social and political life. Structure of nigerian federalism nigerian infopedia.
Federalism, mode of political organization that unites separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in a way that allows each to maintain its own integrity. The origins of nigeria s federalism lie not in the pluralities of economic and geographic regions or of ethnic nationalities, but in the plurality of colonial administrative traditions imposed by. The aim of this paper is to examine the origins, structure and features of nigerian federalism. Federalism is a political system of government where there is division of power among the three tiers of government federal, state and the local government. There is a large body of literature on federalism in nigeria covering such major issues as the origins of nigerian federalism, requisites of federalism, federalism versus other forms of association, the number of state units in the federal system, fiscal issues, political parties, distributional issues, and intergovernmental relations. D eme okechukwu innocent emeh, ikechukwu eke jeffry department of public administration and local government, university of nigeria, nsukka. This oilcentric distributive federalism, in which all. Federalism and ethnic conflict in nigeria united states. The third section is devoted to the examination of the usefulness of nigerias federal system, that is, how federalism has been put to use, ensuring that the nigerian state continues to exist decades after its creation. Federalism is a system of government in which powers are divided between the centre and the regions states. Pdf nigeria is one of the major democracies in african continent. The origin of federalism in nigeria can be traced to when the british colony was reorganized into a federation of three regions in 1946. Federalism can be seen as a system of government in which governmental powers that exist in a country are shared between central government and other component units i. Nigeria is, one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with well over 250 ethno linguistic groups, some of which are bigger than many independent states of contemporary africa ojo, 2009.
The origin of ethnicity began with the evolution of the nigeria federalism. This brought in regionalism by the richards constitution. In india, we can describe federalism as a distribution of authority around local, national, and state governments. Conceptual issues fiscal federalism is a byproduct of federalism. Their powers and functions were shared to them by the constitution. Another perspective of the origin of state and of the principles. Each region had its own constitution, coat of arms and autonomy with regard to the functions. The judiciary determines the meaning of the laws of the country.
Colonialism began with the reorganization and fusion of. Colonial heritage it is well known fact that the contemporary limitations and contradictions inherent with the nigerian federation have been heavily and directly molded by her. The main aim in this paper is to argue that the rikerian theory of federal formation is inadequate to explain the origin of the nigerian federation, especially in the. It was firstly adopted in the richarh constitution of 1946. In this compelling new work, suberu examines the profound political contradictions that make up nigeria, a nation whose leaders have constantly tinkered with a colonial federal legacy that sought to balance the countrys three major ethnic groups. Regionalism was introduced to the nigeria system by the richards constitution. The nigerian federalism is a creation of the british. Federalism, especially in large or diverse countries, can also improve service delivery and democratic resilience, ensure decisions are made at. Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system. Stateregion and local government, but in 1954 there were only the central and regional government in nigeria. A need for true federalism peaceful and prosperous in nigeria article pdf available november 20 with 9,748 reads how we measure reads.
He rejects the assertion that states adopt federalism to protect liberty and ensure democracy. That is, in one system there will be a mixture of two governments state government with central government. The federal system through the igr uses the igm mechanism to provide understanding, cordiality balance and collaboration between and among units of government, and between government and the citizenry. This paper is a new attempt to relook the significance and. The history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers nigerians living in the area as early as 1100 bc.
The feelings of marginalisation, which had been suppressed during the military era are fully expressed by ethnoregional groups in the postmilitary era and these feelings finds expression in the potent agitation for a more functional federal system. Download as pdf abstract this article argues that the nigerian federation epitomises an incomplete federal arrangement. The effect of intergovernmental relations igr on nigerian. The origins of nigerias federalism lie not in the pluralities of economic and geographic regions or of ethnic nationalities. Oct 12, 2016 nigerias constitutions up to the time of independence in 1960 were truly federal in character. It was sir bourdillon who initiated the idea of federalism for nigeria in 1939. In order to discuss federalism at a theoretical level at least, it is necessary to dene it. Sep 03, 2017 in 1954, the nigerian founding fathers opted for a federal system of government despite its inherent challenges in a pluralistic society.
However, the adoption of federalism in nigeria was a compromise aimed to. Federal theory and federalism in africa berihun gebeye. He divided the country into provinces and regional councils along the three major ethnics in the country. Federalism has been present in nigeria since the former british colony was reorganized into a federation of three regions in 1946. The major historical events underlying the origins of the federal system are highlighted in the first article by adiele afigbo, entitled background to nigerian. Nigeria, a creation and colony of the british constitutionally. Brief history of nigerian federalism how nigeria news. Federalism is a means of ensuring peace, stability and mutual accommodation in countries that have territorially concentrated differences of identity, ethnicity, religion or language. Origin of nigerian federalism federalism started in nigeria during the colonial era. An evaluation of the origins, structure and features of. Federalism is a political mechanism for promoting unity in diversity in a heterogeneous society. The structure of nigerian federalism was born out of convenience rather than accident. The evolution, development and practice of federalism in nigeria.
Learn more about the history and characteristics of federalism in this article. Federalism in nigeria refers to the devolution of selfgovernance by the west african nation of nigeria to its federated states, who share sovereignty with the federal government. Nigerias unitary federalism the guardian nigeria news. The history of federalism in nigeria can be traced to the division of the country into three provinces northern province, western province and eastern province by governor bernard bourdillion in 1939. Federalism is a system of government whereby power is constitutionally shared between the central government and other component units e. In fact, the problem is sufciently complex that no mere denition will sufce. Before we start discussing federalism in nigeria, it is pertinent to know what federalism really is.
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