Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Nigeria: A Federation in Search of ‘True Federalism’

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Political Economy of Federalism in Nigeria

Part of the book series: Federalism and Internal Conflicts ((FEINCO))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on issues related to increasing agitations since the democratic transition in 1999 for a more functional federal system that fairly distributes the oil wealth. Here it is argued that increased agitations in the democratic era reflect a structural problem in the distribution of opportunities in Nigeria’s oil-driven federalism. Indeed, there seems to be a consensus that the practice of federalism in Nigeria does not conform to the fundamental principles of federalism because of the many conflicts within the system. In other words, Nigeria epitomises a federation without federalism. This chapter, therefore, aims to examine the perception of the Nigerian people with regard to the practice of federalism in the country. In order to achieve this, an attempt is made to examine the mounting debate over ‘true federalism’ and restructuring, which have increasingly taken an ethno-regional dimension.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    In Nigeria, ‘Republic’ connotes the period of civilian administration. The Fourth Republic is, therefore, the period of civilian rule that began with the termination of military rule in 1999. The First Republic was the period of the first civilian administration which began from independence in 1960 and came to an end in 1966 when the military sacked the civilian government and installed the first military rule which terminated in 1979. The Second Republic was between 1979 and 1983. The Third Republic was aborted through the annulment of the 1993 presidential election.

  2. 2.

    According to the 1952/1953 census, the North’s population was 16.8 million, East, 7.2 million, West, 6.1 million, and the capital city, Lagos, 267,000 (Post and Vickers 1973, p. 81). Similarly, the 1963 census figures also painted a similar picture as follows: North——29,758,875; East—12,394,462; West—10,265,846, Mid-West—2,535,839; and Lagos-665,246 (Osaghae 1998a, p. 41).

  3. 3.

    The states created included North-Western, North-Eastern, Kano, North-Central, Benue-Plateau, Kwara, Western, Lagos, Mid-Western, Rivers, East-Central and East-Central states.

  4. 4.

    The states were: Anambra; Bauchi; Bendel; Benue; Borno; Cross River; Gongola; Imo; Kaduna; Kano; Kwara; Lagos; Niger; Ogun; Ondo; Oyo; Plateau; Rivers; and Sokoto.

  5. 5.

    The states were: Abia; Adamawa; Akwa Ibom; Anambra; Bauchi; Benue; Borno; Cross River; Delta; Edo; Enugu; Imo; Jigawa; Kaduna; Kano; Katsina; Kebbi; Kogi; Kwara; Lagos; Niger; Ogun; Ondo; Osun; Oyo; Plateau; Rivers; Sokoto; Taraba; and Yobe.

  6. 6.

    See Section 14(3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. For a detailed analysis of the origin and dynamics of the principle, see K. Amuwo et al. (1998, pp. 99–210) and P. Ekeh and E. Osaghae (1989, pp. 111–140).

  7. 7.

    Chief Richard Akinjide was a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) that drafted the 1979 Constitution. He made this claim in a newspaper interview (Sunday Tribune, 18 July 2010).

  8. 8.

    Oduduwa, sometimes called O’odua, is the ancestor of the Yoruba people. Afenifere is a pan Yoruba socio-political organisation formed by the late Obafemi Awolowo in 1951 to protect the interests of the Yoruba ethnic group within the Nigerian state. Likewise, the OPC, which was formed in 1994 as a self-determination movement following the annulment of the 1993 election, has as its objective the safeguarding of Yoruba ethno-nationalist interests vis-à-vis the Nigerian state (Nolte 2007, p. 217).

  9. 9.

    The Yoruba idea of federalism is well articulated in the position paper of Yoruba coalition groups titled, Regional Autonomy or Nothing, published in May 2014, and presented at the 2014 national conference organised by the Jonathan-led federal government. Page 5 of the 90-page document summarises their demands.

  10. 10.

    MASSOB was, at inception, a secessionist movement, which aimed to resurrect the defunct state of Biafra but the movement prides itself as a ‘non-violent movement with the main goal of achieving self-determination ’. For more on the creation, aim and activities of MASSOB, see www.massob.org. IPOB was particularly created as a secessionist movement and it remained so until its proscription in 2017.

  11. 11.

    Report of the Constitutional Conference (2014), published by Premium Times (Online), p. 44. This is hereinafter referred to as Conference Report (2014).

References

  • Adejumobi, S. (2004). Civil Society and Federalism in Nigeria. Regional & Federal Studies, 14(2), 211–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agbu, O. (2004). Re-inventing Federalism in Post-transition Nigeria: Problems and Prospects. Africa Development, XXIX(2), 26–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amuwo, et al. (Eds.). (1998). Federalism and Political Restructuring in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, A. (2010). Fiscal Federalism: A Comparative Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayoade, J. (1988, July). Federalism in Nigeria: The Problem with the Solution. Faculty Lecture Delivered at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayoade, J. (1998). The Federal Character Principle and the Search for National Integration. In K. Amuwo, et al. (Eds.), Federalism and Political Restructuring in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babalola, D. (2014). The Underdevelopment of Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region: Who Is to Blame? Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(3), 118–228, 120–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babalola, D., & Onapajo, H. (in press). New Clamour for ‘Restructuring’ in Nigeria: Elite Politics, Contradictions and Good Governance Alternative.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bienen, H. (1985). Political Conflict and Economic Change in Nigeria. London: Frank Cass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daily Trust. (2014, August 22). Jonathan Receives Resolutions, Says…Confab Report to Go to N/Assembly, Council of State. https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/daily/top-stories/32470-jonathan-receives-resolutions-says-confab-report-to-go-to-n-assembly-council-of-state. Accessed on January 15, 2017.

  • Ekeh, P., & Osaghae, E. (Eds.). (1989). Federal Character and Federalism in Nigeria. Ibadan: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elaigwu, J. (2007). The Politics of Federalism in Nigeria. London: Adonis & Abbey Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, U. (1978). Federalism: Failure and Success—A Comparative Study. London and Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, P. (1982). Federalism and Federation. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mustapha, A. R. (1986). The National Question and Radical Politics in Nigeria. Review of African Political Economy, 13(37), 81–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolte, I. (2007). Ethnic Vigilantes and the State: The O’odua People’s Congress in South-Western Nigeria. International Relations, 21(2), 217–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omotola, J. (2007). From the OMPADEC to NDDC: An Assessment of State Responses to Environmental Insecurities in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Africa Today, 54(1), 73–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osaghae, E. (1991). Ethnic Minorities and Federalism in Nigeria. African Affairs, 90, 237–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osaghae, E. (1998a). The Crippled Giant: Nigeria Since Independence. London: Hurst Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osaghae, E. (1998b). Managing Multiple Minority Problems in a Divided Society: The Nigerian Experience. Journal of Modern African Studies, 36(1), 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osaghae, E. (2018, January). Restructuring and True Federalism: Nigeria in Perspective. Convocation Lecture at National Open University (NOUN), Abuja, Nigeria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oyovbaire, S. (1983). Structural Change and Political Processes in Nigeria. African Affairs, 82(326), 3–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post, K., & Vickers, M. (1973). Structure and Conflict in Nigeria 1960–1965. London: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Report of the Constitutional Conference. (2014). Published by Premium Times (Online).

    Google Scholar 

  • Suberu, R. (1998). States’ Creation and the Political Economy of Nigerian Federalism. In K. Amuwo, et al. (Eds.), Federalism and Political Restructuring in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suberu, R. (2001). Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Nigeria. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanguard. (2014, August 21). Confab: We have shamed our critics—Jonathan. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/confab-shamed-critics-jonathan/. Accessed on January 15, 2017.

  • Watts, R. (1999). Comparing Federal Systems (2nd ed.). Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheare, K. C. (1963). Federal Government (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoruba Assembly, Afenifere Renewal Group and Yoruba Academy. (2014). Regional Autonomy or Nothing. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/docs_download/Regional%20Autonomy%20or%20Nothing%20final%20PDF.Pdf. Accessed on April 20, 2015.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria

    Dele Babalola

Authors
  1. Dele Babalola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Babalola, D. (2019). Nigeria: A Federation in Search of ‘True Federalism’. In: The Political Economy of Federalism in Nigeria. Federalism and Internal Conflicts. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05493-9_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation