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. Government Structure and Systems of Government Federal Government. Some choose to use a central system of government that regulates the entire country. What is the advantage of federal state structure? (2019, November 23). When power is not centralized in a government, then there are fewer issues with individual corruption that can impact the entire nation. federalism. The fact that Nigeria is regarded as Africa's only "federal" state commands the interest not only of political scientists but also of policymakers and all those Copyright 2023 - IvyPanda is operated by, Continuing to use IvyPanda you agree to our, Federalism System, Its Advantages and Disadvantages, Anti-Anti Immigration: Principles to Make Migration Work, Australian Education System from 1788 to 1948, The Peopling Process of Australia Since 1788 With Influence of Racism, Methods of Dealing with Problems of Federalism, National and State Powers in American Federalism, Reasons for increase in the Powers of the Nation since 1788, Federalism and Government Styles in the United States, Federal versus State Regulation of Insurance Industry in United States. Federalism was further adopted because the developed countries from which Nigeria borrowed democracy practice federalism. Sometimes, there can be overlapping of work and subsequent confusion regarding who is responsible for what. States also engage in economic competition which causes economic warfare amongst them. 8. Federalism is a mixed form of government where there is a general government always known as the central or federal government and regional governments which could be provincial or states governments. 6. The national government is also entitled to forming treaties and conducting foreign policies. 3 What are advantages and disadvantages of Constitution? %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz All names, acronyms, logos and trademarks displayed on this website are those of their respective owners. Even the European Union is an example of federalism. You cannot drive a horse in Indiana above a set speed limit of 10mph. the country. The regional government had power over matters that are listed under the residual list. 4. 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. 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. student. Description. They can formulate policies which might be detrimental to other regions. Thus each unit can exercise functions that they are well suited which promotes efficiency. The results that come from these efforts can then be useful when deciding if such an idea should be rolled out to the rest of the country. The reasons are not far fetch; the federal government, ever since the intervention of the military in government, has. 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 process is one of the primary reasons why democratic countries choose this form over the other governing options which are available. 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. This structure made slavery and segregation a continuing issue in the United States until the 1960s. 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 makes government more manageable. (2019, November 23). Nigeria is quite a big country with an area of 923,768 km2. Also see: Differences between 1960 and 1963 constitution of Nigeria, reasons for federal system of government in nigeria. Presently, Nigeria has a strong center and a weak component. 19 more states were created in 1976 in order to score more political advantage by the Murtala-Obasanjo regime against those that favor General Yakubu Gowon. Knowing what you can or cannot do can be a confusing process, especially when there are conflicting statements offered by the different parties. 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. It also offers opportunity to test the courage of selected leaders and to prove whether they are responsible. 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 . This is where the regional government steps in. Another major reason why federalism was adopted in Nigeria is the multiple ethnic backgrounds in Nigeria. It is important to also reason that small states are prone to domination and sometimes control by the big ones. Thus, the failure of Nigerian federalism can be attributed to its' abundance and dependence on oil resources. There are three major tribes in Nigeria namely Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. Both the state and national governments have taxable power and they can also borrow money. As a Nigerian, it is important to understand some basic things about the system of governance in Nigeria and why it is so. It . What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? The United States, Canada, India, France and Australia adopted federalism because of the desire for security by the various ethnic units. Many forms of federalism look to create checks and balances throughout society as a way to create an equal governing process. 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 . The definition of federalism is straightforward: it is the federal principle or system of government. 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. Importance of Federalism in Nigeria. Real federalism has never existed in Nigeria (Ajasin, 1992; Odisu, 2015). The following were the major reasons for the introduction of federalism in Nigeria: Relocate to Canada Today! It is also an undisputed fact that the Hausas and Yorubas fought Biafra to keep the unity of Nigeria. Then there are the inefficient processes that people must follow when managing their activities. The Evolution, Development and Practice of Federalism in Nigeria Charas Madu Tella, Ahmed Wali Doho, Aliyu Bapeto Abstract Federalism is a political philosophy in which members of a group are . Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. And this is one of the factors responsible 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. Prior to independence, it is believed that the British adopted federalism because it favored their interest. Political institutions, Kinship ties, Origin of towns and their cultural antecedents are enriched with similar history. The 1951 constitution gave more strength to regionalism with the creation of two chamber legislation in the northern and western Nigeria. Present Nigeria was formed by the amalgamation of two regions which many see as a big influence in why federalism was later adopted by the British and later on by Nigerian leaders as at the time of independence. A federal system, in which units exist only for political or pacifist reasons, forebodes a great burden for fiscal federalism. Rights of the minorities are protected too. The federal government in America has special authority to control interstate businesses and trade with the foreign countries. Federalism promotes unity: the system provides a united national government deal in matters such as finance, defence, regulation of business and foreign affairs. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you Before the amalgamation of the Northern Protectorate and the Southern Protectorate in 1914, there was nothing like Nigeria. Here, the Attorney General of the Federation Instituted the case to test the true position so that the federal government would be guided on the varying issues of derivation formula. It established that the resources of a particular state is not totally owned by the federal government. Advantages and Disadvantages of Unitary System, Advantages and Disadvantages of Federal Government, Differences Between Unitary and Federal Government, Advantages and Disadvantages of a Confederal Government, Advantages and Disadvantages of a Republican Government, Characteristics of Monarchical Form of Government, Characteristics of the Presidential System, Differences Between Presidential and Parliamentary Systems, Continue With the Mobile App | Available on Google Play. Thus, it is often said that only rich countries can afford it. Evidently, Nigerias political culture was federalism friendly and that gave rise to easy adoption of federalism. Over the course of the nation's history it is clear that there are many advantages to federalism. 3. gives people easier access to political offices because they may begin seeking elected offices at the. Federalism in Nigeria can be traced to Sir Frederick Lord Lugard, when the Northern and Southern protectorates were amalgamated in 1914. The full explanation of Nigeria's federalism. Also see: Reasons why lawyers wear wigs to court, Origin and nature of federalism in Nigeria. Need a custom Assessment sample written from scratch by Samuel is bent on changing the legal profession by building Web and Mobile Apps that will make legal research a lot easier. This normally causes disintegration and internal conflicts among different states (Dye, 114). Read Also:Importance of Indigenization in Nigeria. So for effective governance of a country of this big size, federalism has to be adopted. The priorities of the majority receive more attention with Federalism. 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