Federalism in Nigeria – SS2 Citizenship & Heritage Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Subject: Citizenship and Heritage Studies

Class: SS2

Focus: Meaning, features, challenges and importance

Federalism is a system of government in which power is shared between the central government in Abuja and the state governments. The Constitution lists which matters belong to the central government, such as the Army, and which the states may handle. Nigeria needs it because the country is too big and diverse for one government to manage alone.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain the meaning of federalism;
• describe the key features of Nigerian federalism, including the three legislative lists;
• state the importance of federalism to Nigeria;
• identify the main challenges facing federalism in Nigeria.

What is federalism?

Think of Nigeria as one big family living in a massive compound.

• In a unitary system, the Father (central government) makes every single decision, even what the children in the furthest room should eat for breakfast.
• In a federal system, the Father handles the big things (security of the compound, electricity), but each child (the states) has their own room and can decide how to paint their walls or arrange their bed.

So, federalism is a system where power is shared between the central government in Abuja and the various state governments. We do this because Nigeria is too big and has too many different tribes for one person in Abuja to manage everything alone.

What are the key features of Nigerian federalism?

These signs show that a country practises federalism:

• Division of powers: The Constitution has three “lists”:
  1. Exclusive List: Only the Federal Government (Abuja) handles these. Examples: the Army, Customs, the Central Bank and Foreign Affairs.
  2. Concurrent List: Both Abuja and the states can do these. Examples: Education, Agriculture and Health.
  3. Residual List: Whatever is left over goes to the states and local governments. Example: local chieftaincy matters.
• Written constitution: The rules of who does what must be written down so that the President does not try to do the Governor’s job.
• Supremacy of the Constitution: The “Big Rulebook” is the boss of everyone.
• Bicameral legislature: There are two houses at the centre (the Senate and the House of Representatives) to make sure every state is well represented.

Why is federalism important for Nigeria?

Federalism helps Nigeria in these ways:

1. Unity in diversity: It allows us to stay as one country while still respecting our different cultures, languages and religions.
2. Brings government closer: You do not need to travel to Abuja to complain about a bad road in your village. You can talk to your Local Government Chairman or Governor.
3. Prevents dictatorship: Because power is shared, it is harder for one person to become a “God” and control everyone’s life.
4. Local development: It allows states to grow at their own pace based on what they have (for example, cocoa in the West, groundnuts in the North and oil in the South).

What challenges does federalism face in Nigeria?

Federalism in Nigeria is not perfect. We have some “family quarrels” that make it difficult:

• Revenue allocation (the money fight): Most of the money comes from oil in the Niger Delta, but everyone wants a “fair share”. This often causes arguments between the Federal Government and the states.
• State creation: Almost every ethnic group wants its own state so that it can have “its own share of the national cake”.
• Minority fears: Small tribes often feel that the “Big Three” (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) will always use the system to favour themselves.
• Over-dependence on Abuja: Many states do not generate enough internal revenue. They wait for the end of the month to go to Abuja and collect their federal allocation.
• Security issues: Because we have only one Federal Police, it is sometimes hard to fight crime in local villages. This is why many people are asking for State Police.

What lessons does federalism hold for the future?

For Nigerian federalism to work, we must move from “sharing the cake” to “baking the cake”. Each state needs to look at what it is good at (like farming or technology) and grow it, so that we do not rely only on oil.

We also need to learn to trust each other more. A family only stays strong when everyone feels included.

Revision table

Class discussion question

If your state was its own country today, do you think it could survive without the monthly money from Abuja? Why or why not?

Evaluation

1. What is federalism?
2. Name the three legislative lists in the Nigerian Constitution and give one example of each.
3. State three reasons why federalism is important for Nigeria.
4. Why do many people ask for State Police?

Assignment

Explain any three challenges facing federalism in Nigeria. For each one, say what a state or the Federal Government can do to reduce the problem.