Brief history of nigerian federalism how nigeria news. Overtime, federalism has become an attractive and acceptable political arrangement designed to govern multiethnic, multireligious and multicultural societies such as nigeria. The 1999 constitution of nigeria includes provisions protecting freedom of religious belief and prohibiting religious discrimination, and there is no official state religion. Pdf federalism, military legacies and the restructuring. It is the general agreement of the people of nigeria as history has shown, therefore to remain under a federal structural system, being the only basis upon which nigeria can remain united, despite its diversity and the peculiar conditions under which the different tribal communities live in the country 3. The history of nigerian federalism dates back to the preindependence constitution of 1954 called the.
In nigeria, there are different and distinct ethnic groups brought together by colonization. See below for the abstract, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, list of appendices, list of abbreviations and chapter one. Full history of nigerian federalism nigerian federalism. The feature of nigerian federalism could only be better understood by a reproduction of the definition of the concept federalism, professor nwabueze in his definition, defined federalism as an arrangement whereby governmental powers within a country are shared between a national, country wide government and a number of regional governments. Toyin falola and matthew heaton describe their project as a general background survey of the broad themes of nigerias history from the beginnings of human habitation to the early twentyfirst century p. Federalism was formally adopted in nigeria in 1954 adebayo, 1993, p. The convenience was at the instance or whims and caprices of the colonial british government and partly from the selfish nigerian leaders who probably wanted to be leader of a big and united nigeria and as such connived with the british colonial. Federalism and political restructuring in nigeria edited by kunle amuwo twenty essays by four generations of nigerian scholars are included in this volume, the first to examine the historical, political, economic and comparative dimensions of attempts by the military to restructure the nigerian federation. In nigeria between 1966 and 1999, decisions of the judiciary have been most often undermined by. The pivotal point of suberus analysis is that nigeria combines a federal system, designed to manage regionalethnic and other cleavages, with an economy in which most government revenue derives from a single source. Nigerias history of revenue distribution is about each ethnic group or geopolitical region seeking to maximise its share of national. Chapter ii deals with the major nigerian political actors that have. Mar 09, 2020 constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date. A brief tour through the history of nigerian federalism reveals sharp turning points in federal and regional fiscal relations, based alternately on principles of.
Their powers and functions were shared to them by the constitution. Journal of nigeria studies volume 1, number 2, fall 2012 political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Nigeria is a federal republic made up of thirtysix states. Belgian federalism is a twin system which reflects both the linguistic communities of the country, french ca. There were ijaws, igbos, urhobos, itsekiris, yorubas. However, the history of federal system in nigeria could be dated back to the. Nigerias history of revenue distribution is about each ethnic group or geopolitical region seeking to maximise its share of national resources.
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. This is because federalism as a system of government emanates from the desire of a. Click the download now button to get the complete project work instantly. However, in 12 muslimmajority northern nigerian states, federalism has allowed the adoption of islamic shariah law in the criminal codes. The struggle for material condition has led to the evolution of. Stateregion and local government, but in 1954 there were only the central and regional government in nigeria. Reasons for the adoption of federalism in nigeria legit. Practice of federalism as a global trend america, nigeria, switzerland, and indiauganda federalism as basis of critical analysis historical antecedents of federalism greek city states and the leagues summary and conclusion ii. Nigeria has the highest rate of twin births per year globally. It may sound strange to start with the statement that federalism in nigeria was an accident of history. 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.
This is because federalism is presented as a panacea in organizing distinct political identities under a state. Federalism is a means of ensuring peace, stability and mutual accommodation in countries that have territorially concentrated differences of identity, ethnicity, religion or language. Suberus federalism and ethnic conflict in nigeria adds a new high score to this list. His arrival was as a result of the military campaigns of george goldie which was authorized by the royal niger company at that time. The structure of nigerian federalism was born out of convenience rather than accident. Mar 21, 2020 nigeria s movie production industry, nicknamed nollywood, is the secondlargest in the world by volume. 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. The history of the interior of west africa is the history of the movement of different peoples and a constant process of fusion between them.
Research paper federalism, democracy and the national. The history nigeria is a federal country with a constitutional division of powers and functions among the central, state, and local governments. Federalism in nigeria has evolved against the background of about one century. 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 has been present in nigeria since the former british colony was reorganized into a federation of three regions in 1946. Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system. Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between 1068 bc and hausa states around 85 ad during the 11th century, while. From a geographic point of view, federalism belongs rather to the new world, i. In fact, fiscal federalism is a general normative framework for assignment of functions to the different levels of government and appropriate fiscal instruments for carrying out these functions oates, 1999. Udo udoma noted that for the first time in the history of the foundation of britishnigerian relationship and the establishment of nigerias regions by the richards constitution of 1946, regional legislatures were granted powers to legislate over a variety of subjects. Nigeria is unarguably one of the most influential countries in africa. Federalism in nigeria is a product of the colonial administration. Theory of federalism federalism is more of a political system than an.
The richards constitution of 1946 provided the ground work for. It operates the presidential system of government with three distinct but complementary arms namely the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, each acting as a check on. Federalism, especially in large or diverse countries, can also improve service delivery. The history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers nigerians living in the area as early as 1100 bc. 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. Pdf the evolution, development and practice of federalism in. In post1789 french history federalism was linked with counter. Governor bernard bourdillon 1935 1943 recommended the. However, with the advent of the 1979 and 1999 constitutions, there has been a profound change in the practice of federalism in the country which has called into question whether nigeria is indeed a federation. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. This is effectively creating problems within both the polity and the economy. Udo udoma noted that for the first time in the history of the foundation of britishnigerian relationship and the establishment of nigeria s regions by the richards constitution of 1946, regional legislatures were granted powers to legislate over a variety of subjects.
Nigerias movie production industry, nicknamed nollywood, is the secondlargest in the world by volume. The evolution, development and practice of federalism in. Conceptual issues fiscal federalism is a byproduct of federalism. These two regions had their separate legislative authority.
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 bourdillon in 1939. In his book, history and the law of the constitution of nigeria, dr. Federalism, the constitution and resource control by. 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. 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. The history of nigerian federalism dates back to the pre. To gain weight and conform with african standards of beauty, nigerian girls can consume food all day in fattening rooms. Prior to the british conquest of the different nations making up the presentday nigeria, there were. Constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date. History of nigerian federalism the history of nigerian federalism is a history of nigerian politics, and to a larger extent, it is correct to say that the nigerian federalism is a brain child of the british government. In the ninth and tenth centuries the incoming movement.
The crises of national integration in nigeria are very severing such that the nigerian federation is at its collapsing point. Federalism is a system of government in which powers are divided between the centre and the regions states. Nigeria s history of revenue distribution is about each ethnic group or geopolitical region seeking to maximise its share of national. Ebegbulem department of political science university of calabar calabar nigeria abstract the abandonment of true federalism in nigeria has led to the neglect and marginalization of the niger delta. Federalism and development in nigeria the contentious issues about nigerias federalism seem to be nogo areas. Before we start discussing federalism in nigeria, it is pertinent to know what federalism really is. Federalism and nationbuilding in nigeria longdom publishing sl. Click download or read online button to get a constitutional history of nigeria book now. Federalism and development in nigeria sahara reporters.
In the ninth and tenth centuries the incoming movement of peoples into nigeria seems to have been. A constitutional history of nigeria download ebook pdf. Nigeria operates pseudo federalism as it claims to be a federalist state but has arrant inadequate devolution of powers. Structure of nigerian federalism nigerian infopedia. Federalism, the constitution and resource control by itse sagay in the beginning, there was no nigeria. Federalism in the kingdom of belgium is an evolving system. It would be recalled that lord lugard arrived nigeria specifically northern nigeria in 1895 from uganda. Origin and evolution of federalism in nigeria nigerian. Learn more about the history and characteristics of federalism in this article. Federalism is a system of government whereby power is constitutionally shared between the central government and other component units e. 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. The major historical events underlying the origins of the federal system are. The unraveling of these enduring principles is the corpus of this study. The heterogeneous nature of the country combines with the improper mode of.
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. Current structure of fiscal federalism in nigeriaa legacy of military rule 4. It would of course be foolish to think that federalism or the federal principle is a panacea for all of nigerias diversityrelated problems. Meanwhile, it has gone down in history that it was the leyttleton constitution of 1954 that gave nigeria anything close to true federalism. A negative effect of federalism in nigeria has been the.
Pdf the evolution, development and practice of federalism. The evolution, development and practice of federalism in nigeria. However, as well as showing how adaptations to the federal system can rebalance inequalities, nigerias political history also shows that the alternative to a unitary system is not feasible. The richards constitution of 1946 provided the ground work for the takeoff of the federal constitution. Following the partition of africa among the colonial powers at the famous berlin conference of. Apr 07, 2020 a history of nigeria is an impressive book, the more so because its ambitions initially appear straightforward. I think nigeria falls into the latter category or group. 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. This paper examined the evolution, structure, and practices of federalism in nigeria to synthesize the extent to which fiscal federalism in conjunction with agitations for resource control has. Oil rents and their distribution have shaped the operation of nigerias federal system and have also contributed largely to the failure of federalism in nigeria. Click download or read online button to get federalism and political restructuring in nigeria book now. Federalism, especially in large or diverse countries, can also improve service delivery and democratic resilience, ensure decisions are made at.