REGIONALISM, PSEUDO-FEDERALISM AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria is a multi-ethnic, religious and linguistic entity. Before the advent of colonialism, the various peoples of Nigeria lived in isolated settlements and had different systems of government. For instance, many Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba towns and villages had evolved into kingdoms in which the monarchs had absolute and semi-absolute powers respectively. The Igbo practiced what may be called village republicanism in which power was significantly diffused. Many other pre-Nigerian nations operated institutions that approximated to one of Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba or Igbo models of government. But by 1900 colonial rule had taken root in Nigeria. By this period, the area now called Nigeria was divided into two protectorates – the southern and northern protectorates by the British. And in 1914 the two protectorates were amalgamated to become one country known as Nigeria.  

British colonial rule in Nigeria continued with the promulgation of the Richards constitution in 1946. The constitution divided the country into three regions of North, West and East and established regional legislative councils in each region. In 1963, the civilian administration of Tafawa Balewa created the Mid-Western region to bring to four the number of regions in Nigeria. The military sustained the division of the country into states from 12 states in 1967 to the current 36 state-structure in 1996. It is usually argued that the Richards Constitution of 1946, by dividing the country into three regions, provided the ground work for the take-off of federalism in Nigeria (Afigbo, 1991; Okadigbo, 1987; Abada, Okafor, & Tr. Omeh, 2020). Indeed, as an administrative scheme that permits greater local autonomy and independent planning, regionalism could entrench federalism which is said to be the best form of government for a multi-ethnic and culturally-diverse country [such as Nigeria] since it allows the component parts to develop in line.