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Federalism is often regarded as the appropriate governmental principle for countries with huge ethno-cultural diversities. Nigeria, with over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups inherited a federal system from Britain in 1960 and successive governments have attempted, with varying degrees of sincerity and commitment to operate federal institutions that can accommodate the country’s ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversities and nurture a sense of national unity. However, the leaders of these governments, at all levels, have failed to fulfill their obligations to offer good governance anchored on equitable political arrangements, transparent administrative practices and accountable public conduct. Indeed, failure to encourage genuine power sharing has triggered dangerous rivalries between the central government and the thirty six states governments over revenue from the country’s oil and other natural resources. The defective federal structure has also promoted bitter struggles between interests groups to capture the state and its attendant wealth; and facilitated the emergence of violent ethnic militias, while politicians exploit and exacerbate inter-communal tensions for selfish reasons. Thus, communities throughout the country increasingly feel marginalized and alienated from the Nigerian state. These writers contend that the deeply flawed federal system in Nigeria constitutes a grave threat to national integration, stability and development; and that unless the government properly engages the underlying issues of resource control, power sharing, equal rights and accountability, the country will face an internal crisis of increasing and dangerous proportions. This paper seeks to examine “True Federalism and Sustainable Development in Nigeria (A Discourse on National Question and / or National Maladies)”.
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True Federalism and Sustainable Development in Nigeria (ADiscourse on National Question and/or National Maladies)
Chuunon!e Au"uruRivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt,Nigeria
Ne#man Chintu#a $n!iooMedonice Consulting and Research Institute, Port
Harcourt
AbstractFederalism is often regarded as the appropriate governmental principlefor countries ith huge ethno!cultural diversities" Nigeria, ith overto hundred and #ft$ ethnic groups inherited a federal s$stem from%ritain in &'() and successive governments have attempted, ithvar$ing degrees of sincerit$ and commitment to operate federalinstitutions that can accommodate the countr$*s ethnic, cultural,
religious and linguistic diversities and nurture a sense of national unit$"Hoever, the leaders of these governments, at all levels, have failed toful#ll their obligations to o+er good governance anchored on euitable
political arrangements, transparent administrative practices andaccountable public conduct" Indeed, failure to encourage genuine
poer sharing has triggered dangerous rivalries beteen the centralgovernment and the thirt$ si- states governments over revenue fromthe countr$*s oil and other natural resources" .he defective federal
structure has also promoted bitter struggles beteen interests groupsto capture the state and its attendant ealth/ and facilitated theemergence of violent ethnic militias, hile politicians e-ploit and
e-acerbate inter!communal tensions for sel#sh reasons" .hus,
communities throughout the countr$ increasingl$ feel marginali0ed andalienated from the Nigerian state" .hese riters contend that the
deepl$ 1aed federal s$stem in Nigeria constitutes a grave threat tonational integration, stabilit$ and development/ and that unless the
government properl$ engages the underl$ing issues of resourcecontrol, poer sharing, eual rights and accountabilit$, the countr$ ill
face an internal crisis of increasing and dangerous proportions" .hispaper see2s to e-amine 3.rue Federalism and Sustainable
&
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=2135775http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1928507http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=2135775http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=19285077/18/2019 True Federalism and Sustainable Development in Nigeria (a Discourse on National Question and or National Maladi
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4evelopment in Nigeria 5A 4iscourse on National 6uestion and 7 orNational Maladies89"
%e!#ords&Nigerian Federalism, National 6uestion, State Creation,
Sustainable4evelopment
Introduction
There is a general consensus that over half a century after independence, Nigeria is
yet to resolve the problem of nation-building. Indeed, it seems that over the years
the centrifugal forces are on the ascendancy. The difficulty in forging a unitednation after independence has often provoked doubts and debates as to the viability
of the Nigerian project. Federalism is widely regarded as the appropriate
governmental principle for countries with huge ethno-cultural diversities. Nigeria,
with over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups inherited a federal system from
ritain in !"#$ and ever since, successive governments have attempted, with
varying degrees of commitment and success, to operate federal institutions that can
accommodate the country%s ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversities and
nurture a sense of national unity, &'labi, ($$#). *owever, these governments at all
levels have failed to fulfill their obligations of good governance anchored on
e+uitable political arrangements, transparent administrative practices and
accountable public conduct. In fact, failure to encourage genuine power sharing has
triggered dangerous rivalries between the central government and the thirty-si
states governments over revenue from the country%s oil and other natural
resources. The defective federal structure has also promoted bitter struggles
between interests groups to capture the state and its attendant wealth and
facilitated the emergence of violent ethnic militias, while politicians eploit and
eacerbate inter-communal tensions for selfish reasons.
Thus, communities throughout the country increasingly feel marginalied andalienated from the Nigerian state. This writer contends that the deeply flawed
federal system in Nigeria constitutes a grave threat to national integration, stability
and development, and that unless the government properly engages the underlying
issues of resource control, power sharing, e+ual rights and accountability, the
country will continue to face an internal crisis of increasing and dangerous
proportions. This paper, therefore, seeks to eamine the contentious issues in
Nigeria%s federal arrangement, and the challenges they pose for nation-building,
national stability and development. For ease and clarity of analysis, this essay is in
:
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four sections, namely, &i) introduction &ii) /verview of Nigerian Federalism &iii)
0ontending Issues in Nigerian Federalism and &iv) conclusion.
;
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Overview of the Evolution of Nigerian Federalism
That the origin of Nigerian federalism is traceable to ritish 0olonial rule is no
longer new. *owever, opinion varies on the basic reason for its introduction. 1ome
scholars opine that federalism was introduced in Nigeria by the ritish for
administrative convenience. 1ome are of the view that ritain imposed federalism
on Nigeria in order to maintain some control on the country after independence.
/thers believe that the ritish colonialists adopted federalism in Nigeria to solve
the problem of how to keep the large and ethnically diverse groups of people
together. 2egardless of the status of each of these arguments, all the viewpoints are
useful in tracing the origin of federalism in Nigeria.
The origin of the federal system in Nigeria can be traced to the amalgamation of
the 1outhern and Northern 3rotectorates in !"!4. The federal structure began to
form in !"5" under 1ir ernard ourdillon who divided the 1outhern 3rotectorates
into two. The 2ichards and 6acpherson constitutions of !"4# and !"7!respectively only created a decentralied unitary system. The practice of federalism
in Nigeria was officially adopted through the 8yttleton 0onstitution of !"74 as it
was the first genuine federal constitution of the country. The constitution was
introduced due to the crises generated by the 6acpherson constitution, especially
the motion of self-government, and the 9ano riots of !"75. These events convinced
the colonial administration that considerable regional autonomy must be granted to
the regional governments and that only federalism could hold the Nigerian peoples
together, &'labi, ($$#).
Nigerian federalism became consolidated at independence, and since then, it has
been operating in both political and fiscal contets, although not in full
consonance with the basic principles of federal practice. *istorically, Nigeria%s
federal system has oscillated between the ecessive regionalism that marked the
First 2epublic &!"#$ : !"##) and the ecessive centraliation of the military, and
relatively, the post-military era. Nigerian federalism overtime has also undergone
structural changes by which the federation moved from its initial three-region
structure at independence to a four-region structure by !"#4, and to its current
thirty-si states structure including seven hundred and seventy - four local
governments. These changes have been necessitated by the need for a balancedfederation that would give all nationalities self-actualiation and fulfillment.
*owever, these changes have increased imbalances in the Nigerian federation as
eemplified in continued centraliation and concentration of power at the centrewith its attendant conse+uences. 2eally, state and local government creation
eercises have helped to spread development across the country to some etent it is
e+ually true that in spite of the structural changes, the Northern region remains
dominant over others so much that it is the decider on matters of joint deliberation,
&6uhammed, ($$;).
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The dominant and domineering posture of the Northern region over other sections
of the country is traceable to the advent of the federal system in Nigeria. ofwen, ($$4). ?ue to this uneven structure, even when
new states are created, the North continues to occupy over 7$@ of states in the
country. Thus, the Northern geopolitical one enjoys certain advantages in termsof resource allocation and federal appointments, particularly in cases where state
representation is adopted as criteria. This arrangement is a clear violation of one of
the core principles of federalism, that of relative e+uality of component units in a
federation. The arrangement is also a fulfillment of 6ill%s 8aw of Federal
Instability which states that no federation can be stable when one part of it
constitutes a permanent majority in joint deliberations, &/yedele, !"""). Nigerian
federalism has thus not been able to ade+uately promote national integration and
development as the country continues to face various protestations and agitations by
groups against the current federal structure.
0oncerning fiscal federalism, access to political power at the centre is
perhaps the most crucial factor in resource distribution and revenue allocation. In
such situation, the Agroup% that controls political power at the centre ultimately
controls revenue allocation and thus has the opportunity to epropriate a larger
share to its own advantage to the detriment of the wealth producers. This scenario
is eemplified by the consistent and systematic relegation of derivation as the
principle of revenue allocation since !"7!, &/yedele, !""").
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In all, serious contradictions in Nigeria%s federal system such as the colonial factor,
military rule, structural imbalance, over-centraliation of power in the central
government have overtime perpetuated various thorny issues and challengeswithin the Nigerian federation. Be shall now turn to the contending issues in the
Nigerian federation.
Issues in the National Question in Nigerian Federalism
1ince the attainment of independence in !"#$, a number of national issues have
generated heated debates and crises, sometimes threatening the entire fabric of the
Nigerian 1tate. These includeC
&i) 1tate 0reation and the 6inority Duestion,
&ii) 6ilitary Intervention in >overnance,&iii) /il and 6inority 'gitations,
&iv)
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to correct the structural and administrative imbalance of the country and minimie
future political friction. Bithin the framework of smaller units, it seemed
impossible for any state to consider itself ade+uately self-sufficient and almost
entirely independent. 's >owon put itC
The main obstacle to the future stability of this country is thepresent structural imbalance in the Nigerian Federalism.
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*owever, pressure from minorities did not cease with the defeat of iafra. The
case for a further sub-division of the country was actively canvassed by ethnic
groups fearing or eperiencing discrimination or domination and hoping for greater
rewards from a measure of self-government. 's an illustration, the orubas of /yo
and Ibadan who had formed the bulwark of the political opposition in the Bestern
region up to !"## feared discrimination after the return to civil rule scheduled for
the late !"=$s. 1imilarly, the people of 6inna and 'buja in the North Bestern state
complained of unfavourable discrimination in appointments to government posts
and the provision of public services in favour of the 1okoto
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the possibility of a mass revolt by the people against oppressive and scandalous
leadership, and each time the masses became restless and ready to effect a change in
leadership due to the inability of the ruling class to respond ade+uately and
effectively to popular demands, the military would intervene, & In$anga, :))B8.The
military leadership, having toppled the previous government, uses state power to
restore normalcy, maintain an uneasy calm, law and order and return the country to
the status +uo ante. The usual abortion of the imminent mass revolts via military
coups make the military organiation an obstacle to revolutionary progress,
though coupists often promise an overhaul of the system in their maiden broadcast
to the nation after seiing power.
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producing communities often resorted to litigation, which usually ended in
unfavourable verdicts. 8etters were also written to the various post-independence
administrations on the Niger ?elta problem. ?ue to the failure of these efforts, the
agitators moved further by making representation to government at all levels to
make their letters effective. *owever, in most cases, apart from the usual warm
reception and empty promises no tangible achievement was recorded. ?uring the
period also, demonstrations were staged in the Niger ?elta and other places during
which pamphlets and banners were displayed to further draw attention to theincreasing crisis in the region. 8etters were delivered in the affected state capitals,
'buja and 8agos in order to gain government attention, & Nosu, :)&)8.
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the 6ovement for
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across the country, as most parents can no longer ade+uately control their children,
kith and kin. This situation provides ample opportunity for ethno-religious
conflicts because the jobless youths and hungry children become ready tools of
selfish leaders in fomenting trouble and causing conflicts across the country. The
promise of a meager amount of money with little enjoyment makes the youths ever
willing to undertake such a venture. They are overwhelmed by the available
goodies and booties without serious consideration for the conse+uences of their
actions. Furthermore, prolonged military rule manifested in the forceful suppressionof the ethnic aspirations of many minority groups, while the monopoliation of
power by the majority groups stimulated violent conflicts afterwards. In addition,
the shift of 3residential 3ower to the 1outh led to some agitations, which were given
religious coloration, and these agitations also elicited reactions from some elements
in the 1outh who continuously clamoured for a favourable system of revenue
distribution and resource control.
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unity, and also to command national loyalty thereby ensuring that
there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or
from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government
or in any of its agencies, &Nna, @ Ibiba,:)&&8" 3ut simply, Federal 0haracter is a euphemism for ethnic balancing. It is an
instrumentality for ensuring unity in diversity by balancing official appointments
between groups and within the officer corps of the armed forces. There is need to
emphasie that the controversial idea of Federal 0haracter, which has become an
integral part of Nigeria%s federal system, is not peculiar to Nigeria. For eample, the
Gnited 1tates of 'merica too applies it in the form of L'ffirmative 'ctionM and
India too as LDuota 1ystemM in several areas, & 2aba, :))8 . *owever, what hashappened in practice in Nigeria since !"=" is that the conflicting interpretation and
faulty implementation of the Federal 0haracter principle elicited results that were
almost completely opposed to the aims of promoting national unity and loyalty.
0learly, these problems contributed immensely to the contradictions anddisharmonies that have since marred inter : governmental and inter : group
relations in the country.
Corru$tion
0orruption is a global phenomenon but it is more prevalent and destructive in the
Third Borld countries. That corruption in Nigeria has become an endemic problem
threatening the country%s socio : economic and political development is common
knowledge. Bhile acknowledging the threat of corruption to the Nigerian 1tate,
*on. >hali Gmar Na% 'bba, former 1peaker of Nigeria%s *ouse of 2epresentatives
declared in ($$5 thatM
Bhile we cannot rule out the incidence of corruption and bribery in
almost every facet of our society, it is particularly resident in theinfrastructure areas in ministries or monopolistic parastals
saddled with the task of making infrastructure available to the
public : water, telecommunication, electricity &N
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In that same year, a 0entral ank of Nigeria ?irector stated that Lthe
avalanche of frauds and unprofessional K unethical practices in the industry in recent
years is eroding public confidence in the systemM, & 2on, :))=8" In($$4, Transparency International &TI), the world : acclaimed anti : corruption
watchdog, ranked Nigeria as the third most corrupt country in the world, after *aitiand angladesh. It also stated that billions of dollars are lost to bribery in public
purchasing, particularly in the oil sector of the economy. Furthermore, the Gnited
Nations ?evelopment 3rogramme &GN?3) declared that Nigeria has maintained a
seventy percent rise in poverty in spite of an income of over two hundred billion
dollars in oil revenues since !"=$, and her per capital income has hardly improved
ever since, &nuoha, :))8 .0orruption in Nigeria is, primarily, a political problem. The incidence of corruption
in a nation is as a result of the lack of political will on the part of the political
leadership and the inability of the state to maintain law and order. Thus, business
corruption is a fall : out of the failure to tackle political corruption, which castsdoubts upon the moral uprightness of the state as a whole and on the political will of
the leadership to manage the affairs of the nation. It follows simple logic that where
there is absence of political corruption is where the state operates under a high
ethical order and upholds, protects and enforce the rule of law on itself and on its
citiens. Gnder the rule of law and justice, the state machinery works for the good
of all and there will be no stealing of public funds, inflation of contracts, forgeries,
and mismanagement of money in banks, industries and government bureaucracy.
In a nutshell, as it has played out in Nigeria, political corruption and business
corruption are two sides of the same coin. In this regard, it is important to note that
the seedy financial scandals eposed in the Fourth 2epublic involved several
financial institutions. For eample, former Inspector >eneral of 3olice &I>3) Tafa
alogun%s financial frauds involved the laundering of billions of Naira under
different names in different banks. 1imilar method was also employed by
government officials involved in LIkoyigateM, a reference to the shameful fraud
involving the sale of government properties in Ikoyi, 8agos, and other financial
scandals that rocked the Fourth 2epublic across the 8ocal, 1tate and Federal
>overnment units, including the 3residency itself, & r?i, :))B8.
eneral
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and fraud in many states. 'ccording to the Gnited 1tates-based International
2epublican Institute &I2I), the !"th 'pril presidential and gubernatorial elections
suffered in some parts of Nigeria as a result of numerous uncorrected administrative
and procedural errors combined with many observed instances of obvious
premeditated electoral manipulationsM.(; The 0ommonwealth /bserver >roup alsoobserved thatC
In parts of ?ituu, @
>nemugem, 5:))8.
These statements are indeed bullet holes in the corruption : riddled political history
of Nigeria. The scenario is even more pathetic when one considers the debilitating
impact of fraudulent elections and the resultant governments on national
development and nation building. 0orruption begets corruption. ' corrupt and
unethical politician who emerges from a corrupt election cannot govern well.
%eadershi$ Crisis
The various challenges of nation : building, some of which have been detailed upon
earlier on in this paper, have been compounded by the leadership crisis. Though, theleadership challenge, like the 1word of ?amocles, hangs above all nations, the issue
has however assumed a crisis dimension of monumental conse+uences particularly
in 8ess ?eveloped 0ountries &8?0s). Nigeria is a nation born in hope and optimism
but has lived in aniety for most of its fifty year : history due to the country%s
failure to produce a nationally acceptable leadership that transcends ethnic, regional
and religious boundaries, and that can unite its diverse peoples for mobiliation
towards national development. In the light of this, it is valid to support the
argument that the basic problem with the Nigerian federation is the failure of
leadership. 'll other factors of disunity, instability and under :development have
been nurtured and given momentum by leadership failure. 0riticisms againstNigerian leaders across 8ocal, 1tate and Federal government levels are many and
justified. These include corruption, unpatriotism, selfishness, despotism, tribalism,
and religious bigotry.
Nigeria%s political history since independence has shown clearly through her various
conflicts, coups and counter : coups, as well as a civil war, that the Nigerian ruling
elite &both civilian and military) are divided along many lines, particularly along
tribal, ethnic, religious and regional lines. This has led to inter : elite rivalries,
mutual suspicion and status conflicts among the ruling elite. Thus, government and
&=
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politics in Nigeria has been characteried by deadly competitions and conflicts of
hostile subcultures arising various danger signals that occasionally threatened the
continued eistence of the country. Gnder successive Nigerian leaderships,
almost every issue has been politicied and interpreted to serve as a weapon of
political domination or intimidation. 's a conse+uence, various issues like elections,census, state creation, religion, political appointments, revenue sharing and lately,
resource control have ignited serious socio : political crises. This tragic situation
has compelled some observers to conclude that for Nigeria to resolve her leadership
debacle she needs heroes in the form of men with etra : ordinary talents, &?ukor,
&($$#). ut this raises further problemsC who are these heroes Bhere, how and
when shall they be found This, in my opinion, is the cru of the Nigerian dilemma.
"he conce$t of sustaina&le develo$ment and the Niger #elta economy
The political economy of sustainable development provides the fulcrum for an
enduring material progress of the people concerned. This brand of developmenttheory adopts a holistic approach that is mindful of the future implications of
economic solutions formulated in the present. 'rokoyu &($$4C!=) traces the origin
of the concept of sustainability to development debates of the !";$s, which arose
out of the environmental revolution of the !";$s. There was increased awareness
when the Gnited NationsA>eneral 'ssembly resolution created a Borld
0ommission on
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of global warming, is one of the most sensitive environmental problems associated
with oil mining. Nigeria alone flares about (4 billion cubic meters of associated
natural gas every year and the November ($$= report of the ?epartment of /il
3etroleum 2esources claim that more than =$@ of oil fields in Nigeria are culprits.
'lthough the Nigerian >overnment acknowledges the environmental haards posedby constant gas flaring, her non-committal approach becomes a source of concern.
It is disheartening to note that various elusive dates have been set to end gas flaring
in Nigeria. Inyanga &($$=C!=#) observes the Federal 6inistry of overnment done In highlightingthe cardinal objectives of N
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close to the people and the people close to their government will differ according to
the history, the demographic distribution, the traditional culture &or cultures), and
the prevailing international and economic environment in which it has to operate.
There is no doubt that the sordid state of socio-economic development in the Niger
?elta had attracted >overnment attention. /n the eve of independence, the Niger
?elta ?evelopment oard, thanks to the Billinks 0ommission, was created by the
colonial government to chart the course of development. The creation of the /il6ineral 3roducing 'rea 0ommission and the Niger ?elta ?evelopment
0ommission was to address the peculiar development challenges faced by the Niger
?elta. In the face of internal and international pressure, the then arA'dua led
government has recently created a Technical 0ommittee headed by arrister 8edum
6itee, an /goni born *uman 2ights 'ctivists and had e+ually created a 6inistry of
the Niger ?elta. In creating the 6inistry on Thursday 1eptember !!, 3resident
6usa arA'dua announced that the new ministry will serve as the primary vehicle
for the delivery of his administrationAs agenda for the rapid socio- economicdevelopment of the oil rich but long neglected region with special focus on
infrastructural development and youth empowerment &The Nation, 1eptember
($$;). Bith the demise of late 3resident arA'dua,his successor in the person of ?r.>oodluck onathan has demonstrated an enviable spirit of continuity in policy
formulation and implementation as encapsulated in 1even- 3oint 'genda with the
development of the Niger ?elta region as one of its arrowheads >overnment
reaction was provoked by the state of insecurity that had reached an
embarrassing height in recent times. There were rampant cases of kidnapping and
armed assault against prominent citiens and 6ulti-national 0orporation officials.
The aftermath of these brigandries was the eodus of some 6N0s key players.
0ompanies like ulius-erger 0onstruction 0ompany had to relocate to 'buja and
Gyo respectively for security reasons.
's a result of the incessant attacks by militants, the nation lost not less than #5!,$$$barrels per day with 1hell &13?0) all accounting for 4$7,$$$ bpd, 'gip =7,$$$ and
others !(,$$$. 'll these figures run into billions of Naira leading to a palpable
decline in oil revenues. Bhile the giant stride of the >overnment in setting up a
Technical 0ommittee and a 6inistry of the Niger ?elta acknowledged, it is hoped
that these institutions will not be afflicted by the scourge of the Nigerian factorA thathas been
the bane of our development initiatives. oth /63'?
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settlement even though in most cases, it is never acknowledged. The militants,
erroneously, claim that they want a better share of the national cake. This still boilsdown to what olade and 'delemo &!";#C4!) describe as the negative offshoots of
internal colonialism in the national development process. /ne of the militant
groups goes by the name 6ovement for the
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the instrumentality of official corruption.
Issues and Questions in '()* +residential ElectionsNigeria%s 6arch (;, ($!7 presidential election was, perhaps, one of the most bitterly
fought in the annals of the country%s electoral history. The election occurred after a
controversial si-week postponement following insistence by security agencies that it
should be pushed forward for them to accelerate the battle against the insurgency in the
North
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?emocratic 3arty &3?3) after siteen years of virtual one-party rule at the federal level.
The 3?3 got so arrogant as to announce that its rule would last at least sity years. The
lesson here for the '30 is that its longevity would depend on its capacity to promote
good and democratic governance for Nigeria.
It is the firm belief that the main heroes of these elections are the Nigerian people whoshowed commitment and discipline by coming out to vote and staying on in their polling
units sometimes into the second day as the process dragged. 3resident >oodluck onathan
also ehibited grace and statesmanship by calling his opponent and conceding, a gesture
signaling restraint to his followers and indicating the majority wish of Nigerians as
greater than individual desire or ambition. y so doing, 3resident onathan leaves 'so
2ock on a high note and would enter Nigerian history as the first president to accept
defeat.
It is also important to note that the Independent National
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Conclusion and !ecommendations
The preceding discussion shows that the operation of Nigerian Federalism since
!"#$ has not yielded meaningful socio : economic and political development.
Instead, half : hearted practice of federalism has resulted in over : centraliation of
fiscal and political power, creation of un: viable and federally dependent 1tate and8ocal >overnments, military intervention in governance increased corruption,
ethnicity, and intense minority agitations over oil revenue. This paper acknowledges
that the aforementioned problems of nation : building all have their roots in the
!"!4 amalgamation of Nigeria and colonial rule as a whole. *owever, while it is
fruitless to resist the argument that the imperialistic motive behind the
amalgamation made it more of a liability than an asset, it is also farfetched to hold
colonial rule solely responsible for the near : failure of the Nigerian project. To lay
all the difficulties of nation : building in contemporary Nigeria on ritish
imperialism is to suggest that inter : group relations among pre- colonial and post-
colonial Nigerian peoples have been completely cordial and harmonious. The pointwe are making is that the ritish coloniers left Nigeria fifty years ago, enough time
for the Nigerian state to institute a concrete national agenda and strategy to remedy
the defective federation she inherited from the ritish towards achieving genuine
national integration and development. Therefore, the study contends that thefailure by the various post : independence Nigerian leaderships to evolve an
e+uitable mechanism for the distribution of political power and economic
resources is at the root of the Nigerian problem. Be maintain that there is an
immutable neus between the desire of Nigerian peoples for e+uitable access to
power and resources on one hand, and the plethora of obstacles to nation : building,
on the other. Thus, the prospects of genuine nationhood and development in Nigeria
lies in a swift adoption of true federalism, not the type that super : imposes unitary
tendencies and contradictions on the practice of federalism. The problems of nation
: building in Nigeria would start to receive proper attention only under a truly
federal system of government and the great potentials of the country would be best
realied within the framework of true federalism. 1ome segments of the Nigerian
federation are genuinely afraid of a return to true federalism as they view it as a
prelude to the break : up of the country. ut on the contrary, we believe that a true
federal structure will consolidate Nigerian unity. It will give each nationality a
breathing space and sense of belonging, allow for healthy competition and anopportunity to develop according to the ability and resources of each federating
unit. ' lopsided and unjust federal arrangement does no one no good, ultimately,
as the bitter eperience of
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poses a great danger. 2ight from colonial times, the people of the area have felt
marginalied and alienated arising from years of neglect and abandonment. To
further compound the problem, various development efforts by >overnment
merely paid lip-service to the situation leaving much to be desired. The recent wave
of hostage economy has taken sordid tolls on lives and property with graveimplication for sustainable development. It is hoped that the recent creation of a
Federal 6inistry of Niger ?elta will tackle the hydra-headed monster of
underdevelopment from a holistic perspective by creating jobs for teeming number
of unemployed youth and providing public utilities for the hapless masses.
1ince the National 'ssembly and the 3residency have continually displayed lack of
political will to effect fundamental structural and institutional reforms in the
federation, calling a 1overeign National 0onference will be a good starting point. In
this regard, the study proposes a si-region federal structure anchored upon the
subsisting geo-political ones of the country. This should be complemented byclear-cut constitutional arrangements that would guarantee ade+uate fiscal and
political powers for the regional and local governments to allow them operate as
viable units of administration, rather than mere appendages of the central
government.
:
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?appa-iriye, '..2. &!""7). 6inority 3olitics in 3re-and-3ost-Independence
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