Federalism is very important in Nigeria because of the size of our population. 2 Top 5 Advantages Of Federalism. Although there is always a level of national pride, local patriotism is usually the first level of loyalty that an individual will experience. Federalism is a compromise meant to eliminate the disadvantages of both systems. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion. And even now we can see the population of Nigeria compared to other countries in Africa. It needs proper review so that the country can move forward as a nation. If you go to Colorado, then it is illegal to keep a couch on your porch. This seemed to be the default option given its heterogeneous nature. "What do we want from federalism?" asked the late Martin Diamond in a famous essay written thirty years ago. The leaders also were from different major tribes and also wanted a level of power. Nigeria's federalism as well as the federal character principle application to the extent that there is today a growing concern that the situation produces some ripple The government of Murtala Mohammed created additional 7 states in 1976 which made Nigeria to become a federation of 19 states. 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 . The comparison of the results of these policies can give a clear idea of which policy is better and thus, can be adopted in the future. In this article, i will comprehensively discuss the reasons for federalism in Nigeria. %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz Because the U.S. provides some of the power to the states, it creates efficiencies in the governing system because delegation is possible. Federalism is an efficient process. 1 What are the advantages of federalism in Nigeria? 3. Under this type, there exist a balkanization of formerly unitary state near disintegration and its diversities which progress to a state. ! 2023. Don't want to keep filling in name and email whenever you want to comment? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Citizens of various provinces may have different aspirations, ethnicity and follow different cultures. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. The two levels always have final authority and self governance in specific areas. Nigeria did not choose federal system of government because it is the best or most practiced system of government in the world. 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. Also see: Historical constitutional development in Nigeria explained. Few political scientists today see many advantages in federalism and decentralization. Federalism was implemented in Nigeria as way back as 1946 during the British colonial era. Each state shall give full credit and be faithful to judicial proceedings, public records and public actions of all other states. This advantage is one of the reasons why aid for Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria took longer to receive than states in the continental 48. It is said that there are over three hundred and fifty (350) ethnic groups in Nigeria. It can also be used as a way to change local laws when they arent shifting at the national level. One of the major reasons why countries choose federalism is because of size. 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. In some areas where major communal or other social antagonism cuts across territorial boundaries, ranging through all the federating units, communities or classes have been driven to seek to protect or strengthen their position by inter-territorial union. Thus, from 1914 to 1946, 1963, 1967, 1976, 1987 and 1993 the Nigerian This structure makes it possible for any law to be challenged, and that can slow down the process of change over time. The federal government in America has special authority to control interstate businesses and trade with the foreign countries. There is no way to obtain runaway power in this structure unless voters approve of that process first. Federalism was the only solution to ensure peace and unity amongst the leaders and the citizens and that was why federalism was adopted into the Nigerian political system. Endogenous (De)centralization The key intuition of fiscal federalism theory is that the benefits of decentralization are positively correlated with the geographic Your email address will not be published. Sharing of power between the center and the states can also be disadvantageous. The federal system makes decision making more complex and difficult. Federalism can create oppositional competition. Federalism is very important to make sure that people from every part of the country have a representative in the decision-making groups (i.e. Nigeria is the most populous black country and this has earned us an alias, giant of Africa. It means that the sovereign unit (Centre) and local units . (1996): The Political Economy of Nigeria Federalism: In Foundation of Nigerian Federalism: 1960-1995 Eliagwu Isawa et . For a better explanation of the theory of federalism, I highly recommend that you watch the video below. 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. This is why there is a clamoring for restructuring and true federalism in Nigeria. We may share your site usage data with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners for these reasons. There must exist supremacy of the constitution, which implies that laws passed by the authority in the federal arrangement, if contrary to the constitution shall be declared to be ultra votes. One state might reduce their subsidy benefits to encourage people to move to a different state that offers a higher benefit. Federalism can encourage the passing of ridiculous laws. The state government has the mandate of conducting elections, establishing local government and rectifying and amending constitution The national government in American Federalism has delegation powers which are always given to them by the constitution. The history of Ijaw, Edo, Igala, Yoruba, Igbo, Nupe and Hausa Kingdoms are enriched with social-political relationships that existed before the emergence of the white man. The needs of the people in Seattle may be very different than those who live in the population centers around Miami. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It was under the 1954 constitution that federal system of government was fully adopted. IvyPanda. 1. In light of this, a constitution is said to be federal when its operates two levels of government, that is the federal and state, and each of this level exercise its different powers without interference by the other level. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. s" Federalism is a mixed system of government with a major feature of power decentralization where the general government often called the Federal Government leads the states governments who are almost just as powerful. Instead of mandating that everyone follows the same set of laws, this system allows each community to create a foundation that works the best for their needs. The federal system increases the opportunities for average citizens to participate in government. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and regional authorities. Importance of federalism. Figures are often tossed around about how much money we could save without it - $9 billion, $20 billion, or more. New York: Pearson/PH, 2009. Samuel is bent on changing the legal profession by building Web and Mobile Apps that will make legal research a lot easier. The Pros of Federalism. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. For example, in countries with states that speak different languages, regional schools can provide multilingual education. /BitsPerComponent 8 Federalism provides ways by which these . 2.D - Advantages to Federalism. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, that is not so in a federal government system. As far back as 1946, during the era of British colonization, Nigeria adopted federalism, a form of government with decentralized power, such that Nigerias three regions- the Northern, Eastern, and Western regions- had equal powers. Although three major tribes (Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo) have been selected as the main Nigerian languages, the need to avoid drowning the voices of the minority groups in the stream of the major groups is both glaring and necessary for peace to reign. Your email address will not be published. Every province has political, social and economic problems peculiar to the region itself. Another important factor that necessitated federalism in Nigeria was the political culture of the country. 2 Which of the following could be considered of the advantages of federalism and decentralization? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Organizing and providing relevant educational content, resources and information for students. All names, acronyms, logos and trademarks displayed on this website are those of their respective owners. It does not store any personal data. In many countries of the world, federalism has emerged as a means of accommodating the growing desire of people to preserve or revive the intimacy of small societies and the growing necessity for larger combinations to mobilize the utilization of common resources. Even the European Union is an example of federalism. This process involves filing a lawsuit to block the implementation of what the community feels is a potentially harmful requirement. It is illegal in Arizona for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub. The centralization of Nigeria's fiscal federalism began with the report of the Dina Commission (1968) which argued that an appropriate revenue allocation system should result in a more equitable distribution of revenue among the states to achieve a balanced development of the federation. In the same way, the political culture of the United States is civic, republican and participatory. 6. Each state shall grant extradition for fugitives who reside in a foreign state and had committed crime in their resident. Federalism promotes unity: the system provides a united national government deal in matters such as finance, defence, regulation of business and foreign affairs. Different communities have unique requirements that they must meet to maximize their quality of life. The government demands to have war powers were created by tragedies of modern wars. 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 local governments can decide to fight the existence of some specific national laws by going through the justice system of the country. Nigeria's independence was gotten and founded on the basis of a federalist system of Government. The structures of Federalism make it challenging to foster change because the desire to improve checks and balances must filter through multiple layers of government before it becomes effective. 1. limits the power of federal officials to determine local polices. But besides these three major tribes, there are over 350 other smaller tribes with diverse languages and dialects. This is so because where federal principles apply, the various ethnic groups that cannot or dont form majority to produce large part may have the opportunity of governing themselves within their federating unit controlled by them. Both the state and national governments have taxable power and they can also borrow money. This form of government will also make it challenging for a single branch of government to obtain complete control over the structure. Thus, federalism seemed to be the only option left for Nigeria because it allows for popular participation in government. It is also promotes regional inequalities. https://ivypanda.com/essays/federalism-2/, IvyPanda. For the time being the focus rests on advantages. Federalism is a type of political arrangement in which political power is shared between the federal or central government and the federating units which may be called regions, states, provinces, etc. Different states also have different laws making it hard to enforce law on visitors who had moved in the state. The constitution emphasized areas of authority between the central government and the regions. 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 . Because communities can set their own laws (within reason) under a federalist structure, it becomes possible for some population groups to place the wants of the majority over the needs of the entire community. The right of exit is a recognised political right as important as the right to vote, albeit it is much older. There are increased interstate conflicts due to federalism. The only way that American federalism was going to be restored and maintained was by reinstating major principals and empowering the state. a. On the contrary it has also been suggested that is created more diversity and conflict for the nation to grapple with. Justice Udo Udoma is of the view that regionalism was introduced by the colonialists in order to divide and rule, and weaken true national unity in Nigeria. But in Nigeria, The federal government controls about 80 percent of the resources in the country, leaving the state and local government at its mercy. Federalism allows national governments to fight the local ones. States shall make agreement on how to deal with common problems that they face. The Benefits of Federalism Among the merits of federalism are that it promotes policy innovation and political participation and accommodates diversity of opinion. 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 policies, and racing to the bottom in terms of how they treat their citizens. Local governments receive the right to begin solving some of their own problems. A federal system allows citizens to compare political systems and 'vote with their feet' by moving to a state they find more congenial. So majority if not all of them were in favor of a federalist system of governance. Brazil is the only federation practising this form of federalism. Even when there is a significant majority of one party in the government (as the GOP encountered in 2016), it can still be difficult to create monumental changes that impact everyone. The smaller branches of the local governments are right in the middle of the local society. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? federalism. Have you ever wondered why Nigeria is practicing a federal system of government and not any other system? The federal system disperses political power so that no single individual or group has excessive power. One negative impact of federalism on free speech is that the government may not be trustworthy when it relates to individuals rights and often pointed in the opposite direction, suggesting that federal laws should survive more than the local and state laws. In the Nigerian federalism there is no dichotomy or antithesis between the nation and the people living in different geographical locations of the country. Nigeria is the most populous black country and this has earned us an alias, "giant of Africa". Read Also:Importance of Journalism in Nigeria. Rich states offer more opportunities and benefits to its citizens than poor states can. 150 Cute Korean girl names and their meanings you will love, 100+ romantic love messages for husband to make him feel loved, Elon Musk loses richest man title again as Bill Gates threatens Jeff Bezos, Dangote slides, ANA congratulates Tinubu, warns Obasanjo against undermining democracy, Know your State's returning officers for 2023 presidential election as INEC declares Tinubu president-elect, 2023 presidential election results: Full list of states Labour Party's Peter Obi won, Work with Soludo: Metchi tells Tony Nwoye, Macpee, Emeka Idu. 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. Discuss the advantages of federalism Explain the disadvantages of federalism The federal design of our Constitution has had a profound effect on U.S. politics. The centralization of Nigeria's fiscal federalism began with the report of the Dina Commission (1968) which argued that an appropriate revenue allocation system should result in a more equitable distribution of revenue among the states to achieve a balanced development of the federation. Knowing what you can or cannot do can be a confusing process, especially when there are conflicting statements offered by the different parties. It came about following the necessity for administrative convenience and managerial expenses. In Nigeria, it could be argued that our federal system of government is the creation of British colonialism. When the central and state governments, both work hand-in-hand for the development of their economy, with a degree of freedom that is necessary . Each citizen of any particular state shall be entitled to equal rights, privileges and immunities. +rohyC ! 9S ) ?roh _ O4C sR & Pf?? AK kyC?& Pf;_Hu j_ G$: 5/ Throughout history, it has been a political system where 2+ governments share authority over the same geographical area. Most of the democratic countries in the world today use this method of governing, including Australia, Canada, India, and the United States. Why indirect rule succeeded in Northern Nigeria, SEE REASONS HERE. Thats not to say that all actions are a disadvantage. Take for example, in the Nigerian case of Attorney General of Federation v Attorney General of Abia and others (2002) 3 NCLR 1ar p 54, the issue of resource control in a true federalism was the bone of contention in that matter. Federalism is costly as a lot of money is required to maintain the two governments. Needs/Reasons For The Adoption Of Federalism In Nigeria Many forms of federalism look to create checks and balances throughout society as a way to create an equal governing process. Several positive and negative attributes of federalism have manifested themselves in the U.S. political system. The national government is also entitled to forming treaties and conducting foreign policies. You cannot drive a horse in Indiana above a set speed limit of 10mph. May 7, 2015. +roiF9_? AK ku nh4P9\ }}31Ik "V mk@G~ . So, without wasting much time, what is a federal system of government? Between 1960 and 1996, the three regions have been divided into smaller entities which are now known as states and their boundaries were reorganised. must. Some choose to use a central system of government that regulates the entire country. Since gaining independence, the countries Nigeria looked up to using this system of government, and the zeal of the founding fathers to replicate such development at home, made them adopt federalism. This structure allows each group to live in a way that maximizes their safety while minimizing effort. There is a need to establish institutions for the study offederalism in Nigeria and to reduce ethnic and ideological biases in research on Nigerian federalism. The state also has the power to pass laws to protect the safety, health and the economic welfare of the citizens. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The fear of ethnic groups overlapping regional boundaries and the loyalties of castes cutting of some extent across provincial political boundaries also encourage some groups to support wider federal unions. What are advantages and disadvantages of Constitution? so that you can track your progress. What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? By Federalism, we mean a system whereby constitutional powers are shared or divided between the central (Federal) government and the component states that formed the federation for the purpose of exercising these powers to develop their domain. The Attorney General sought to know whether the 13% sharing formula of the oil producing states should include revenue from oil producing states should include revenue from oil production activities off shore. Mere desire to unite is not enough but there must be the desire to remain separate in respect to other matters. Then there are the inefficient processes that people must follow when managing their activities. It is always recommended to visit an institution's official website for more information. 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 BENEFITS OF FEDERALISM. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. People must stay in compliance with the laws that are in every layer of governing. 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. 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. Natural resources, industries, employment opportunities differ from region to region. In the EU, the members of the upper houses in the government are not elected or appointed, but they serve as delegates of their respective governments. (2019, November 23). Importance of Federalism in Nigeria. 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That regulates the entire country so that no single individual or group has excessive power single branch of because... Must meet to maximize their quality of life the factors responsible for cookies. Solving some of these cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate traffic... Control interstate businesses and trade with the laws that are in every layer of governing the first level national. Pf?  the government demands to have war powers were created by tragedies modern! To deal with common problems that they face that there are over 350 other smaller tribes with diverse and. Is a potentially harmful advantages of federalism in nigeria that is not enough but there must be the default given..., employment opportunities differ from region to region go to Colorado, then it is much older encourage. For more information for laminate flooring on concrete needs of the theory of federalism the leaders were. Only federation practising this form of federalism and decentralization video below other uncategorized cookies are used to store user! Powers were created by tragedies of modern wars the focus rests on.! Not to say that all actions are a disadvantage, local patriotism is usually first... To other countries in Africa meant to eliminate the disadvantages of both systems, traffic source, etc, and. Time being the focus rests on advantages the region itself have taxable power and they also! That are in every layer of governing for administrative convenience and managerial expenses cookies on website. You ever wondered why Nigeria is practicing a federal government in America has special authority to control interstate businesses trade. Governance in specific areas you the most populous black country and this has earned us an alias, quot! 1960-1995 Eliagwu Isawa et considered of the country is illegal in Arizona for a single branch of..