FEDERALISM AND THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed federalism and the challenges of national integration in Nigeria. The data utilized in the study were derived from both primary and secondary sources. The data obtained were analyzed using chi-square instrument. The findings of the study revealed among others that federalism in Nigeria reduced inter-ethnic competition and minimized the usual alleged fear of domination among ethnic nationalities. The study also indicated that federalism in Nigeria did not bring government nearer to the people and is not a source of integration of citizens largely due to leadership failure and management malady. The study recommended that the principle of fiscal needs should be given a dominant weight in the revenue allocation practice, that the power of the federal government to vary the proportion of federally collected revenue which goes to the federal account should be checked and that revenue should be allocated among the sub-national governments based on the length of federal roads, population size, tax efforts and equality of state.