Federalism and the challenges of operating good governance in nigeria 52 journal of international politics v1 i2 2019 that gave rise to true structure of federalism in nigeria, 2015, okolo, 2o14. Fiscal federalism and challenges of development in nigeria. Nationbuilding is about building the tangible and intangible threads that hold a political entity together and gives it a sense of purpose. Challenges of fiscal federalism in nigeria and solutions. Oct 17, 2018 federalism and national integration in nigeria. Usa, frg, multiethnic switzerland, presentday russia and multinational forms former. The heterogeneous nature of the country combines with the improper mode of. Abiodun awolaja looks at some of the issues surrounding the concept in the country and some of the solutions proffered to tackle them. Nigeria and challenges of fiscal federalism politics. We welcome submissions from the conference for federal governance, vol 11. For instance, federalism is a form of governmental and institutional structure designed to cope with the dual but equally difficult task of maintaining unity while preserving its diversity. Federalism can be seen as a system of government in which governmental powers that exist in a country are shared between central government and other component units i. The politics of fiscal federalism and the challenges of development in nigeria bolaji omitola okuku campus, osun state university, nigeria abstract in nigeria, the issue of fiscal arrangement that is generally acceptable to the varied and complex groups within the polity has remained a volatile and often combustible problem.
In nigeria for instance, the federal system comprises federal, state and local governments while in the united states, federal system includes the federal. It is the result of the highly established units which can usually be absent. Some of the issues with the practice of fiscal federalism in nigeria include the centralist system of fiscal relations, conflict over sharing principle, over dependence on oil revenue. The evolution, development and practice of federalism in. But federalism has faced stiff challenges over the years from those wanting a unitary form of government on the one hand, and from those wanting a confederal arrangement, on the other.
In a nutshell, this paper aims to examine the current contentious issues in nigerias federal arrangement, and the challenges they pose for the nigerian state. Also, lets not forget about separate branches of power. May 11, 2020 problems of federalism in nigeria and solutions. These actions were what led to the development of federalism in nigeria today. The challenge of federalism, democracy and development. Problems facing nigerias federalism a number of factors make the system so problematic in practice, and few of them will be discussed below. Fiscal federalism in nigeria an analysis of issues and challenges. Lessons from the past and challenges for the future ibrahim a. Therefore, the problem with federalism in nigeria is the mixapplication or nonapplication of this clause especially as it has to do with power distribution awa, 1976. Federalism is the bedrock of democratic edifice for a country of nigerias size and bewildering diversities.
In 1970, nigeria adopted the following five national goals of development. Issues and challenges of nigerian fiscal federalism citeseerx. Federalism and the challenges of operating good governance in nigeria 52 journal of international politics v1 i2 2019 that gave rise to true structure of federalism. Issues and challenges of nigerian fiscal federalism. Issues and challenges with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire. The situation attracts growing interest and concern. Federalism and its challenges in nigeria request pdf. The smallest is st kitts and nevis 261 km 2 followed by micronesia 702 km some have very large populations. An ivestigative study on intergovernmental relations and the performance of local governments in nigeria with abstract, chapter 15. Download the complete political science project topic and material chapter 15 titled federalism and national integration in nigeria. Research context the numbers of people in mogadishu is estimated at 2. Therefore, the problem with federalism in nigeria is the mixapplication or nonapplication of this clause especially as it has to do with power distribution awa, 1977. Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system.
The challenges of democratic federalism in nigeria on december 7, 2005. Federalism is a political concept in which power to govern is shared between national, and subnational governments creating what is often called a federation arowolo. In essence the federalism so adopted is expected to reduce the immensely aggressive inter ethnic competition and tension, allay the usually alleged fear of domination, bringing government nearer to the people and give the. Since the exit of the military from the political scene in may 1999, there have been new. This study is applicable in mogadishu, somalia, because there are many challenges and opportunities for federalism in mogadishu, somalia at this moment. Finally, the study shall be concluded with alternatives for remediationpolicy options. Problems of intergovernmental relations in nigeria and. This study is applicable in mogadishu, somalia, because there are many challenges and opportunities for. The interethnic rivalry in nigeria has constantly disrupt development in the country. Federalism and the management of external relations in.
In spite of this confusion, we can still conceptualize federalism. Erato kozakoumarcoullis former minister of foreign affairs at the roundtable discussion organized by the european parliament office in cyprus. In this article, we identify the challenges of fiscal federalism in nigeria. As a result of the nature of the multiethnicity of nigeria, it has brought about the issue of minorities which has constituted to one of the major problems militating against the development of the nation. Poor governance and weak institutions have been an integral part of nigerias experience since independence. Federalism and the challenges of operating good governance in. The basic minimal structures required for a country to lay claims to the practice of federalism include a political system in which there is power sharing under a written constitution with a government consisting of at least two orders.
It has created a scenario whereby the states have become economic extensions of the federal government and has eroded the fiscal autonomy of the federating units. Historical development of fiscal federalism in nigeria. Diffenent modelsdifferent challenges advantagesdisadvantages by dr. It should be noted that this panel is being put forward by the online graduate journal federal governance. From this point of view it describes the main types of modern federal state. Nigeria is a federal state country that is also a developing. In nigeria, we see different set of people from different geopolitical regions agitating for power which sometimes lead to disagreements and ethnic conflicts among the parties involved. The chapter discussed various challenges that confronting nigeria, and to what extend federalism has been practiced.
Onuigbo, 2aloh rowland and 2eme okechukwu innocent 1department of political science enugu state university of science and technology, enugu, nigeria. Thus, in this article, we shall be dealing with the problems of nigeria federalism. The crises of national integration in nigeria are very severing such that the nigerian federation is at its collapsing point. See below for the abstract, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, list of appendices, list of abbreviations and chapter one. Introduction nigeria as a sovereign state is one that has numerous ethnotribal groups as matched with its vast territory, large population and enormous land mass. Before we start discussing federalism in nigeria, it is pertinent to know what federalism really is.
All papers on topics related to empirical and theoretical challenges for federalism generally or applied to specific cases are welcome. Federalism, nigerian federal constitution and the practice. Pdf federalism and the challenges of nation building in. The heterogeneous nature of the country combines with the improper mode of the countrys formation gave rise. In essence the federalism so adopted is expected to reduce the immensely aggressive inter ethnic competition and tension, allay the usually alleged fear of domination, bringing government nearer to the people and give the different groups more opportunities, thereby.
Nigeria to which the term federalism has properly been applied. As noted by baldi, federalism is always accompanied by. Challenges and prospects of federalism in nepal purna man shakya associate professor, faculty of law tu background nepal is a small state tucked between india and china. Click the download now button to get the complete project work instantly. In nigeria, there are 36 states and also a separate federal territory fct or federal capital territory. Resource allocation and management as well as fiscal federalism decentralization have remained contentious issues in a federal state such as nigeria. Gambari ambassador of nigeria to the united nations. Abstract the problem of federalism and the associated crises of national integration in nigeria raise serious alarm. Challenges and opportunities of federalism in mogadishu. In nigeria, the decentralization of powers between the federal center. Buchan fiscal residuum theory was used to explain and analyze issues that relate to federalism, fiscal federalism and the challenges therein. In nigeria, there are different and distinct ethnic groups brought together by colonization.
Erato kozakoumarcoullis former minister of foreign affairs at the roundtable discussion organized by the european. The problem of federalism and the associated crises of national integration in nigeria raise serious alarm. This research work xrayed federalism in nigeria as the only basis upon which nigeria can remain united despite its diversity and peculiar conditions in which the different tribal groups live inand proffers solutions to the challenges of the practice of federalism in nigeria. Federalism, refederalization, resource control, political restructuring, nigeria. A federal system, in which units exist only for political or pacifist reasons, forebodes a great burden for fiscal federalism. The crises are very severing such that they culminate in a strong force being mounted on the federation with tendency to disintegrate the country. Tax federalism in nigeria is based on political, historical, economic, cultural, geographical, and social factors. It was divided into a numerous principalities and kingdoms for a long time. Variety of federations 25 countries and 40% of world population and 50% of surface of earth.
However, most literature on federalism focused on power relations between and among levels of government visavis fiscal federalism while issues relating to contextual dilemma and the pitfalls in the experiment have attracted few academic works. In all these cases, budgetary mechanisms have been a moot point since 1946. Nigeria, we all know is made up of diverse group of people with different ethnic groups, and the rivalry among hausafulani, yoruba and igbo has become a serious issue overtime. Federalism in nigeria is one of the most expensive. The largest is the russian federation 17m km 2, canada 9. It was the belief of nigerian nationalists that federalism will foster nation building in nigeria, but. Federalism and the management of external relations in nigeria. Dec 24, 2019 problems facing nigerias federalism a number of factors make the system so problematic in practice, and few of them will be discussed below. Nigeria and challenges of fiscal federalism politics nigeria. Federalism and its challenges in nigeria the chapter examined the position of federalism in the nigerian content since its independence in 1960. However, be that as it may, to daniel 2007, it means several varieties of political arrangement in nigeria to which the term federalism has properly been applied. Federalism and national intergration in nigeria issues and. Challenges and opportunities of federalism in mogadishu, somalia.
The works addresses this phenomenon by investigating. It is the thinking of most nigerians that with fiscal decentralization, economic welfare of nigerians will be automatic. John paden launched his book, muslim civic cultures and conflict resolution. In view of the above, it is pertinent to ask some fundamental questions. Federalism and contending issues in contemporary nigeria. Federalism and the challenges of operating good governance. Abuja, nigeria, experiences an annual growth rate of 9. E 2 1 department of public administration, federal polytechnic kauranamoda, zamfara state nigeria email. To my mind, the worst enemies of nigerian federalism are those who speak of federalism, but act in a unitary fashion by brushing aside all the divisions of. To discover if the operation of true federalism in nigeria could help in tackling the problems.
This is because federalism is presented as a panacea in organizing distinct political identities under a state. Sep 08, 2018 this has posed serious challenges to the issues of fiscal federalism in nigeria. In the late 18 th century, prithvi narayan shah, the. What are the challenges and opportunities of federalism in mogadishu, somalia. To inquire into the impact of religions and ethnic loyalties and national integration in nigeria. The challenges of rapid urbanization on sustainable.
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