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 was basically introduced to bring about peace and unity in the different regions of the country. 7 Topics . Present Nigeria was formed by the amalgamation of two regions which many see as a big influence in why federalism was later adopted by the British and later on by Nigerian leaders as at the time of independence. Nigeria. It should be noted, however, that the Leagues significantly differ from modern federations in one respect: namely, while the various governments freely interacted, no prosperous direct contact between the populace of the various governments was permitted. Differences between 1960 and 1963 constitution of Nigeria, Differences Between First, Second and Third Degree Murder, Best Lawyers In The World (With Pictures): Top 10 Most Popular, Factors that Limits Independence of the Judiciary in Nigeria, Statute of Fraud: Contracts Required to be in Writing, Advantages And Disadvantages Of a Limited Liability Company (LLC), Richest Christian Musicians In The World: Top 10 Wealthiest, Countries With The Highest Minimum Wage 2022: Top 13, Best Handworks/Skills To Learn In Nigeria 2023: Top 12 Most Lucrative, Richest Engineers In Nigeria 2022: Top 10 Highest Paid, Cheapest Places to Live in the United Kingdom 2022: 12 Most Affordable, Cheapest Places/Cities To Live In Nigeria 2022. /Height 235 The post war efforts for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the Igbo secessionist into the post-civil war Nigeria through the (3Rs) policy of rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation (the 3Rs) to promote national unity and nationalism have failed to yield desire result. reasons for the adoption of federalism in nigeria pdf. Bashar Abubakar Bukkuyum This is good 'nd thank you Blogger. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. This understanding is also in tune with that of Jinadu (1979:15), who insists that Federalism is usually viewed as a form of governmental and institutional structure, deliberately designed by political architects, to cope with the twin but difficult task of maintaining unity while also preserving diversity. It is no news, therefore, that the peoples of Nigeria are diverse in different respects culturally, historically, socially, religiously, educationally, industriously, and even philosophically. Nigeria is quite a big country with an area of 923,768 km2. Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system. Federalism And Intergovernmental Relations In Nigeria. More so, the colonial masters with the Richards Constitution in 1947 launched Nigeria onto the path of the present federal system of government via the regionalization of the country. Federalism as said earlier decentralizes power. x^[YsF~[-`pys)fk"%J hE;}LO *%gH=zoN/oNS~~zb|\U?_s3jJ}ZxhK2&$9|H-&9)q7"|kxN7i,anHiw>&_N~@bdkBs>gIM>z2|1zFDW+1"y-#HCQJmvj4CW5z,#IwHGc&Y"`Sg|2)FQ& p:?WT hQ4M:*|9tKy?c[U(zqfNBA=XCOf~2i6KC@;DGO? So, what are the reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria? Federalism in Nigeria refers to the devolution of self-governance by the West African nation of Nigeria to its federated states, who share sovereignty with the Federal Government. Wheare who contends that it is a system where powers are shared between central and regional governments so that each is in a sphere cordinate and independent. In many countries of the world, federalism has emerged as a means of accommodating the growing desire of people to preserve or revive the intimacy of small societies and the growing necessity for larger combinations to mobilize the utilization of common resources. Why do nations federate?, what are the factors or conditions to have necessitated the adoption of federalism?, how is a federation to be organized?, how is power to be shared between the levels of government in a federation?, is federalism a means to an end or an end itself?, why do some federations succeed and others fail?. In the same way, the political culture of the United States is civic, republican and participatory. The USA and Canada were formed with the above interest at heart. Full History of Nigerian Federalism. This post will give you some insight into why federalism was adopted as the system of governance in Nigeria. Olawale Olaopa, Ibikunle Ogundari, Mike Awoleye and Willie Siyanbola, Nigeria Quasi Federalism: An Obstacle To Peace And Development In Nigeria, FEDERAL BALANCING IN NIGERIA: A PARADIGM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY, DECENTRALIZING PUBLIC SECTOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND THE CONTRADICTIONS OF FEDERAL PRACTICE IN NIGERIA, The National Assembly, Constitution Amendment and Civil Society Expectations, True Federalism in Nigeria: A Political Discourse, Re-regionalization and Fiscal Federalism: The Panacea for Accelerated National Development in Nigeria, REPORT OF NIGERIA'S 2014 NATIONAL DIALOGUE, Politics, Power. The Babangida administration followed the same step and created 21 states and more local governments. 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. Since federal systems have been formed for different reasons and to To learn more, view ourPrivacy Policy. 2. w !1AQaq"2B #3Rbr What a nice article, very educative for students in school, Could you please explain fear of minorities, Could you please explain fear of minorities, Economic factors and Diversities in culture. 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. Government at different periods had set up commissions to advise on the acceptable revenue sharing formula, especially as it affects the three (3) tiers of government. Another reason why federalism is adopted by any country is that of its population. Book excerpt: Defensive Federalism presents an original contribution to the field of federalism and multinational democracies, exploring the concept of defensive federalism as a protection of self- government against the "tyranny of the majority". Nigeria therefore falls into the latter because of the wide diversities. /Width 371 This allows the central or federal government to share governmental powers between the central or federal government and the components regions, state, etc. << . There are three major tribes in Nigeria namely Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. And this is one of the factors responsible for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria. Abstract One of the arguments for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria is the desire for economic and political viability and development in a nation of uneven distribution of human and. Federalism in Nigeria refers to the devolution of self-governance by the West African nation of Nigeria to its federated states, who share sovereignty with the Federal Government . 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. To learn more, view ourPrivacy Policy. June 1,2022 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. Economic factors in adoption of federalism in Nigeria are not unconnected with the issues of resource control, wealth generation and redistribution, and income distribution. REASONS FOR LOW TRADE Historical reasons - India adopted socialist model of economy and policy of import substitution and protectionism till 1990s and civil wars and domestic instability in other countries Poor Connectivity- Due to difficult terrain on borders, poor development of inland waterways, poor border infrastructure like border huts . Besides the Big Three - Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, there are other macro and micro ethnic minorities in the country. Problems of Nigerian Federalism 1) Revenue Allocation: This has been a problem in Nigeria. Thus, federalism seemed to be the only option left for Nigeria because it allows for popular participation in government. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. 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. The United States, Canada, India, France and Australia adopted federalism because of the desire for security by the various ethnic units. However, the practice of fiscal federalism in Nigeria is a negation of true federalism. 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. Mere desire to unite is not enough but there must be the desire to remain separate in respect to other matters. This makes it possible for the minorities to be separated from the domination of big ethnic groups. >> government and the governed by enhancing political cohesion in such country with regional, ethic, racial, linguistic and cultural diversity like Nigeria. All these strengthen political bonds and gave Rice to unity in diversity. The states too have no resources for development but depended on federal grants. The Hausa Fulani and the Minorities feared the domination of political powers by the Igbos and Yorubas. Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. The chief architect of this theory is Riker. SjHw`d"*z;3N&W3k]:}N\t+5 (Nw3hW"T"aDV$V e. /Resources << << Your email address will not be published. Federalism is a system of government where there are a decentralization power and autonomy of governance to the regional or federated states that share sovereignty with the Federal Government. It also decided that the Public . In federalism, there is accountability, there is transparency. It means that the sovereign unit (Centre) and local units . Therefore, the adoption of a federal political framework in Nigeria was a necessity as the system was the only viable option for a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria. By way of conclusion, it is imperative to know that the reason why Nigeria is still practicing federalism today is because the system seems to be suitable for our political value and culture. 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. The second theory focuses on the existence of external military or diplomatic threat for the origin of federalism. With the total area of 923,768 km, Nigeria can not justifiably be administered by a lone leviathan from the top. Power Sharing Formula /Filter /FlateDecode 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. And even now we can see the population of Nigeria compared to other countries in Africa. READ ALSO: Reasons for political apathy in Nigeria, Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria. The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.8, no.2, . by the federal or any state government. 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. READ ALSO: History of democracy in Nigeria from 1960. Prior to independence, it is believed that the British adopted federalism because it favored their interest. Again, in 1967 twelve states were created to appease the interest of those clamoring for states and weaken the geo-political holds of Biafra. History of federal system of government in nigeria. The paper identifies and discusses the problems associated with separatist movements and how they affect national and social security, and argues that while the definition of state failure is contested and therefore Nigeria cannot yet be called a failed state, but certainly a fragile state. 2023, Bscholarly LLC. Pls visit us again dear reader. So for effective governance of a country of this big size, federalism has to be adopted. Common national, racial, religious, cultural linguistic or social ties have often contributed to the unification of political unit. POL 124 MAIN CONTENT Mar 21, 2011 NEW (1), Resource Control, Federalism and Peace in the Niger Delta: A Reflection on Nigeria at Fifty, Federalism and Revenue Allocation in Nigeria: A Critical Evaluation of the Derivation Principle, Legal Framework for Fiscal Federalism: Issues and Options for Reform, RESOURCE CONTROL, REVENUE ALLOCATION AND PETROLEUM POLITICS IN NIGERIA: THE NIGER DELTA QUESTION, Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in Nigeria's Fourth Republic: Issues and Challenges, The Nigerian State and the Quest for Restructuring: Implications for Democratic Consolidation, Federalism, Democracy and Constitutionalism: The Nigerian Experience. Nigeria is a plural society of over 250 tongues and tribes. Also see: Reasons why lawyers wear wigs to court, Origin and nature of federalism in Nigeria. five reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria explained. Therefore, striking an acceptable delicate balance between these two divides, has, time and again, become a well known problematic world over. Nigeria is a heterogeneous nation facing challenges within the balance of economic development along ethnic divisions in society. This is also one of the reasons for federal system of government in Nigeria. This paper recommends that there should be an overhaul of the political system through constitutional amendment process to expunge provisions that negate federalism and provide for implementation of true federalism. That is often the reason why some adherents of Marx quarrel vehemently about such preordained classification such as: haves and have-nots; and the liberal minds grappling with, insisting not only that all hands are not equal, but that they must never, for whatsoever reason at all, be made equal - believing that that would tantamount to the highest injustice. Federalism was favoured among other systems of government in a bid to averting . Evidently, Nigerias political culture was federalism friendly and that gave rise to easy adoption of federalism. Just very few words have evoked much more controversy in the discus of politics than the word, federalism. This marginalization is evinced by untold hardships such as poverty, lack of infrastructure for health care and education, and generally impaired wellbeing. In Nigerias case, the tongues and tribes that made up Nigeria has one colonial history. This is because federalism is presented as a panacea in organizing distinct political identities under a state. Asst. It established that the resources of a particular state is not totally owned by the federal government. /ProcSet [/PDF /Text ] By using our site, you agree to our collection of information through the use of cookies. All attempts to solve these problems over the years have failed. Section 10 of the constitution rule outs the adoption of any religion as a state religion either. No doubt, the Ethnic, Religious and Geographical nature of Nigeria also contributed to the reason why federalism was 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. This notwithstanding, the concept of federalism boasts of a very popular definition by an American scholar, K.C. V(B8eDK@sx AK hG~ u;6DV,pwP# _ O4C sR 8_yC ! 9S ) ?roh _ O4C sR & Pf?? AK kyC?& Pf;_Hu j_ G$: 5/ 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. The disadvantages are that it can set off a race to the bottom among states, cause cross-state economic and social disparities, and obstruct federal efforts . As one of the most effective frameworks for governing a pluralistic society, Nigeria adopted Federalism to manage her multi-ethnic state. This simply means that federalism in Nigeria provides accommodation, an institutional arrangement which gives the component units equal and coordinate jural status. Unfortunately, to suit their interests and political agenda, the federal and state governments over time immemorial have maintained great level of . ! Identities can be in terms of ethnicity, culture, religion and other differences," she says. The political parties involved in the first republic were more formed on a regional basis. Federalism was implemented in Nigeria as way back as 1946 during the British colonial era. /Font << Email Address. We hope to seeing you again on other posts of interest. (8 Best Paying Jobs), General consensus among our leaders when seeking independence from Britain. The leaders also were from different major tribes and also wanted a level of power. Other specific reasons for the increasing demand for decentralisation are: Central governments increasingly are finding that it is impossible for them to . << 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). For a better explanation of the theory of federalism, I highly recommend that you watch the video below. Academia.edu uses cookies to personalize content, tailor ads and improve the user experience. Stated reasons of the coup were prevailing gangsterism and disorder, corruption and nepotism in the civil government. 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. /F5 18 0 R 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. a group of selected academic teachers this book is suitable for adoption as a resource for a case driven approach to teaching "Corporate Governance" courses at an upper undergraduate or graduate level. This is another reason for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria. The Plural nature of Nigeria: Nigeria is a plural society of over 250 tongues and tribes. ), Constitutionalism, Constitution Making and Constitutional Reform in Africa: Contemporary Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa, Chapter IX: The politics and policies of oil deregulation in Nigeria: Implications and policy suggestions. There must be a formal decision of government powers by the constitution between the federal and state government. "There are reasons why some nation-states opt for federalism. Is there high propensity or likelihood of exclusion, marginalization and relative deprivation, which was to engender obsessive mutual antagonism? In the case of Nigeria - how the oil money will be (in)judiciously dealt with. Federalism in Nigeria refers to the devolution of self-governance by the West African nation of Nigeria to its federated states, who share sovereignty with the Federal Government. This was one of the major reasons for the creation of the newer and smaller states after the independence. 2) The Problem of Minorities: In Nigeria, there are majority groups and minority groups. Naturally, federal system of government has some distinctive features namely: 1. is one of the devices built into the federal constitution of Nigeria as a means of achieving unity in diversity. The military were able to create more states because military decrees do not pass the same rigorous method bills pass in a democratic government. Journal of public administration and Management Vol.6,No.12, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 7714 www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 8 August. It needs proper review so that the country can move forward as a nation. What were the reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria? The construct of federalism, which originates with the concept of intergovernmental relations, dates back to the Greek civilization. was federalism friendly and that gave rise to easy adoption of . It will schock you to know Nigerias adoption of federalism was also in the interest of the leaders. % The states' territories were formed around ethnic groups with common interest and close ties, culture, and dialects. The Complete Material Will Be Sent To Your . Critically, after that train, every other train went to Nigeria from Nigeria, indicating the enormity of the wall of enmity demarcating Nigeria from the sovereign State of Biafra. To avert this domination, states unite to form a strong, virile and stable union capable of withstanding external attacks. Below are the reasons why Nigeria adopted a federal system of government: The major reason for the adoption of federal system of government in Nigeria is borne out of the historical experience that brought all the ethical groups together under one Nigeria.