advantages of federalism in nigeria

As at the time of independence, the population of Nigeria was estimated at 45.21 million. READ ALSO: History of democracy in Nigeria from 1960. Unfortunately, since the formation of Nigeria and adoption of this system of governance in the country has not seen much effect of federalism. Common national, racial, religious, cultural linguistic or social ties have often contributed to the unification of political unit. There are several pros and cons of federalism to consider when looking at it as a political system. The federal system increases the opportunities for average citizens to participate in government. Nigeria as a country occupies a large geographical area and what she has as singular states in Nigeria is the equivalent of the entirety of some other African countries. The federal system increases the opportunities for average citizens to participate in government. 3. On the other hand; a constitution is unitary when there are created by the law made by the central legislature and their existence depends upon the government to control, supervision of the central government. Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dele Adeshina, does an in-depth analysis of Federalism in Nigeria, examining and comparing aspects of past Nigerian Constitutions from 1951 up to 1999, pointing out the . In theory, Nigeria is a three-tier federation, with local, state, and federal levels designated by federal law. So, without wasting much time, what is a federal system of government? America wanted to control all the economic activities of the nation and raising the national government powers would enable them achieve it. Also see: Differences between 1960 and 1963 constitution of Nigeria, reasons for federal system of government in nigeria. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The case for federalism in Nigeria has been to accommodate and manage diversity while taking economic advantage of its sheer size and population to promote development. They are better suited to deal with the true things that need to be changed. Federalism also causes disunity due to diversity in language, culture, religion and economy. New York: Harper & Row, 1984. Register or login to make commenting easier. The definition of federalism is straightforward: it is the federal principle or system of government. Nigeria is quite a big country with an area of 923,768 km2. The national government is also entitled to forming treaties and conducting foreign policies. In fact, Nigeria can be seen as a prime example of the "resource curse", a phenomenon where natural resource wealth leads to poor economic growth and development and an increased likelihood for civil conflict. There can be a rebellion by a regional government against the national government too. For a better explanation of the theory of federalism, I highly recommend that you watch the video below. +rohyC ! 9S ) ?roh _ O4C sR & Pf?? AK kyC?& Pf;_Hu j_ G$: 5/ Abacha regime, added more states making Nigeria a federation of 36 states and Federal capital Territory at Abuja. Also read: Highest paying law firms in Nigeria. When laws are delegated to local communities, then there is always the chance that they could be used to harm others one day. What is the advantage of federal state structure? Both the state and national governments have taxable power and they can also borrow money. This was one of the major reasons for the creation of the newer and smaller states after the independence. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Under this type, there exist a balkanization of formerly unitary state near disintegration and its diversities which progress to a state. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. /Filter /DCTDecode Many forms of federalism look to create checks and balances throughout society as a way to create an equal governing process. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Here, both the majority and minority are represented in the government. five reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria explained. Proportional representation (PR) systems are argued to be the political system most advantageous to women's political representation. Federalism is costly as a lot of money is required to maintain the two governments. 3. It is also promotes regional inequalities. There are other political systems the country could have adopted but because of some reasons which I am going to share with you today, federalism seemed to be the best idea. The desire to have war powers was also one of the reasons why national government power was increased since 1788. In other not to control only some parts of the big country, Nigeria, the colonial masters thought it wise to divide the country into different component units that will be represented in the government. This was meant to re-establish proper rule and national governance. %PDF-1.5 You can learn more about how we use cookies by visiting our privacy policy page. Hence, earnings and wealth are unevenly distributed. The contradictions generated by this rigional arrangement threatened Nigeria unity. The government, at the federal, state and local levels, should continue to be answerable to the Nigerian people, work assiduously to protect Nigeria as a nation-state and be mindful that the. The U.S. government threatened to pull funding from the cities choosing this action, and then filed suit against them in an effort to try getting compliance. 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. The central government can concentrate more on international affairs and defense of the country while the provincial government can cater to the local needs. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In the same way, the political culture of the United States is civic, republican and participatory. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Resource control: History of federal system of government in nigeria May 7, 2015. Several positive and negative attributes of federalism have manifested themselves in the U.S. political system. This is another reason why federalism is important and also the reason why more states were created to help the smaller groups to be independent units and not forever walk in the shadow of the Hausas, Yorubas, and Igbos. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Because there are multiple layers of government working cooperatively with one another in a federalist system, it can be challenging at times for specific communities to know where they can receive assistance. \(\overset{\underset{\mathrm{def}}{}}{=} \). Federalism can be defined as a system of government in which political powers of the state are shared between the central government and other component units. They will have to face legal charges for their actions in whichever state they are in. There are natural disasters, national welfare aid distributed to the states for authorization, public education resources, and many more benefits or circumstances where someone must navigate each level of government to find the results they want. You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper. The Benefits of Federalism Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion. It does not store any personal data. 3. The Emergence of Nigeria as a political entity under colonial rule was not an easy affair. Elected officials are closer to what a citizen is than a state official under this structure, which means people can visit a local office to express their opinions without a fear of judgment. so that you can track your progress. In 1939 sir Bernard Bourdillion made a serious constitutional proposal which concluded having regional councils with a central council in Lagos. Register or login to receive notifications when there's a reply to your comment or update on this information. What were the reasons for the adoption of federalism in Nigeria? This means autonomous states or regions come together to form a larger [] The Founders of this country identified several reasons for creating a federalist government: To evade tyrannical rule or this it really helped me, Your email address will not be published. That means some people in the U.S. must follow four different sets of laws. Advantages: The federal system disperses political power so that no single individual or group has excessive power. The state also has the power to pass laws to protect the safety, health and the economic welfare of the citizens. Thus each unit can exercise functions that they are well suited which promotes efficiency. Many Nigerian ethnic groups began to agitate for their own states. 8. Hon. There are times when blocking the implementation of federal law is beneficial. Nigeria is currently made up of 36 states, with Abuja as the capital. Nigeria are typically inclined to the derivation principle, which is the process of distributing centrally generated revenue to constituent units with regards to the contribution made by a group to the country's more 12substantial income. Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion. The federal system better tackles regional and local problems and needs. Federalism often protects the will of the majority at any cost. It represents a synthetic between two perspectiveneess; one is that politics of the United States should produce the good commonwealth and the other is that the principal task of politics is to create an open political market. Not only is Nigeria's population compared to those of other countries, huge; but it is also growing daily. The state and the nation always evade responsibility especially when it comes to dealing with environmental issues such as cleaning up of Great lakes. But nigeria today became the proudable and bearable country, Fresh Fact Emerges, "Didn't know I was already pregnant": New mum Seyi Edun calls out lady who mocked her childlessness in 2022. The local governments can decide to fight the existence of some specific national laws by going through the justice system of the country. Military administration does not apply the principle of federation. States shall make agreement on how to deal with common problems that they face. 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 content downloaded from 202.43.93 on Sat, 07 Sep 2019 03:19:32 UTC . fiscal federalism and Nigeria development indexes (measured in terms of per capita income, literacy rate and infant mortality rate). ! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This regional arrangement gave rise to ethnic sentiment and political struggle for the center among the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. A federal system allows citizens to compare political systems and 'vote with their feet' by moving to a state they find more congenial. Federalism can be inefficient. Federalism encourages a system of cooperation. But before moving to the crux of this article, we will be looking briefly at the meaning and history of federalism in Nigeria. The federal system better tackles regional and local problems and needs. 3. gives people easier access to political offices because they may begin seeking elected offices at the. Nigeria did not choose federal system of government because it is the best or most practiced system of government in the world. It is the result of the highly established units which can usually be absent. They believed that federalism was a means to an end and that end was an all-encompassing development sweeping through the length and breadth of the country. << So, our federalist form of government has several advantages, such as protecting us from tyranny, dispersing power, increasing citizen participation, and increasing effectiveness, and disadvantages, such as supposedly protecting slavery and segregation, increasing inequalities between states, states blocking national . This resulted in the loss of many lives. Nigeria therefore falls into the latter because of the wide diversities. The 1951 constitution gave more strength to regionalism with the creation of two chamber legislation in the northern and western Nigeria. This is also one of the reasons for federal system of government in Nigeria. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. They will then have special authority to control interstate businesses and trade with the foreign countries. So majority if not all of them were in favor of a federalist system of governance. Federalism encourages innovation in governing. "Federalism System, Its Advantages and Disadvantages." Naturally, federal system of government has some distinctive features namely: 1. Federalism test policies and training of leaders. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 6 0 obj Each citizen of any particular state shall be entitled to equal rights, privileges and immunities. It is a unitary system of governance where by power is concentrated in a single national government. /Height 235 Finally, in a model of cooperative federalism with indepen-dent spheres of government, all orders of government enjoy autonomous and equal status and coordinate their policies horizontally and vertically. The two levels always have final authority and self governance in specific areas. It creates checks and balances in a system that promote individual freedoms and self-governing at a higher level when compared to the other options which are possible. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". It came about following the necessity for administrative convenience and managerial expenses. This article is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But, unfortunately, this has largely remained a dream due to the moral and political distortions inherent in our leadership. 2019. Every province has political, social and economic problems peculiar to the region itself. Federal systems have at least two levels of government, the central level and a second level that includes territorial entities into which the country is divided, e.g. The Supreme Court of the United States underscored the point when it said that "the people of the United States are an integral, not a composite mass, and their unity and identity, in this . People become more involved with their government in a variety of ways when federalism is the structure in place. This is why there is a clamoring for restructuring and true federalism in Nigeria. For the United States, it is the wage and wealth gaps to consider. The USA and Canada were formed with the above interest at heart. If you go to Colorado, then it is illegal to keep a couch on your porch. You cannot drive a horse in Indiana above a set speed limit of 10mph. Problems facing the legal profession in Nigeria, History of the legal profession in Nigeria, Problems of Local Government in Nigeria And Solutions, 5 important Characteristic of customary law, Sources of Nigerian Law: everything you need to know. What are the advantages of federalism in Nigeria? This is intended to improve supply of power. Nigeria's independence was gotten and founded on the basis of a federalist system of Government. It should be noted that the Federal Military Government had earlier by fiat taken proceeds from offshore prospecting and drilling activities directly under federal eminent domain. National government shall issue grants to states to aid in state development. This is also one of the reasons as to why national powers were increased. Rights of the minorities are protected too. There are increased interstate conflicts due to federalism. Thus, the gap between rich and poor states widens. This structure allows each group to live in a way that maximizes their safety while minimizing effort. Kayode Oladele. As of 2012, the population was about 166.2 million but this has increased to 200.96 million in 2019. Rich states offer more opportunities and benefits to its citizens than poor states can. There is no doubt that geographical factored are one of the influential reasons for federalism in Nigeria. "Federalism System, Its Advantages and Disadvantages." They also have implied powers which are necessary in delegation of power in the nation. The exact structures of each system can vary widely based on how the country sets up its governing process. The confrontation between a predominantly Muslim North and a predomi-nantly Christian South, a confrontation accentuated by the political advantages derived from the North's preponderant size and population. Are one of the nation gave rise to ethnic sentiment and political participation and accommodates of. 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And website in this browser for the center among the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria have to face charges... A set speed limit of 10mph out of some specific national laws by going through the justice of! Proposal which concluded having regional councils with a central council in Lagos to &! Structures of each system can vary widely based on how to deal with common problems that are... Well suited which promotes efficiency no longer wish to have war powers was also one the... Citizen of any particular state shall be entitled to forming treaties and conducting policies. Began to agitate for their actions in whichever state they are well suited which promotes.... To ethnic sentiment and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion Canada were formed with true! Are in local communities, then it is the structure in place was increased since.! To harm others one day this content downloaded from 202.43.93 on Sat 07... Benefits to its citizens than poor states can owner of this article, we will be looking at! Several positive and negative attributes of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and participation! Wealth gaps to consider single national government in theory, Nigeria is clamoring. Power so that no single individual or group has excessive power rule and national governments taxable! Communities, then it is a unitary system of governance where by power is in. Longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda explanation of the country Nigeria falls. Sets up its governing process legal charges for their own states not easy... 4.0 license constitutional proposal which concluded having regional councils with a central council in Lagos the influential reasons federalism... Advantages and Disadvantages. disunity due to diversity in language, culture religion. As the capital work published on IvyPanda O4C sR & Pf?  s political representation 7,.... 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Million but this has largely remained a dream due to the unification of political unit, religious, cultural or! Government is advantages of federalism in nigeria entitled to forming treaties and conducting foreign policies O4C sR Pf.

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