Federalism, Nation Building and Ethnicity in Nigeria

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Federalism, as a system of government is one that emphasizes a constitutional division of powers between levels of government in a state, with each exercising authority over areas of its statutory jurisdiction. It is a system that evolved from the idea of containing deep-seated differences within states that are interested in staying together. Hence, federalism emphasizes, unity in diversity. Nigeria, since the Lytelton Constitution of 1954, has remained a federal state. Though Federalism was introduced in Nigeria by the British colonialists, there is no doubt that it was a response to the inherent diversities in the country. Nigeria is a heterogeneous society, with over three hundred and fifty ethnic nationalities. The problem arising from inter-ethnic competition for resources (ethnicity) has remained a major bottleneck for nation building in Nigeria. Many techniques have been invented in the past managing this problem, the chief of which is the Federal Character principle introduced by the 1979 constitution. This solution just like others has not really done much, as the country is as divided as ever. It is therefore the central thesis of this paper that efforts by the Nigerian state towards managing ethnicity in Nigeria are rather exacerbating the problem. The author concludes that until sincere efforts towards real democratization, good governance and frank national dialogue are initiated, ethnicity remain the major impediment to a balanced and workable federalism in Nigeria.