NIGERIA'S FEDERAL CHARACTERS- A TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT
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- NGN 3000
Background to the Study
In a great number of developing nations, particularly those in Africa, the lack of efficient governance presents a substantial obstacle to the achievement of national developmental goals. This is especially true in the case of the African countries. Other concerns, such as poverty, unemployment, insecurity, corruption, nepotism, a lack of national cohesiveness, and economic issues are also effects of a lack of efficient management. [Citation needed] Over the course of many decades, poverty, agriculture, armed conflict, and authoritarian control have prevented Africa from entering an era of affluence and stability. This is not a particularly shocking revelation. As a direct result of this, there is an urgent need for governments that can be relied upon, that are trustworthy, and that are effective (Kerry, 2015). The absence of efficient governance was one of the contributing factors that led to the unfavorable outcomes that occurred in a number of countries, including Somalia, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, the Congo, Libya, Egypt, and Algeria, amongst others. This factor contributed to the negative outcomes that occurred in these countries. Because it opens the way for equitable representation of all people through the election process, the attainment of excellent administration is the summit of democratic principles. Regarding Nigeria's experience with democratic management prior to the year 1999, one cannot make any especially remarkable observations. This was a direct consequence of the Nigerian military's persistent meddling in the country's political process over a period of many years. While the civilian government of Nigeria only held power for a little over 10 years, the military in Nigeria remained in control of the nation from the time of the country's independence in 1960 until 1999. It was generally agreed upon that the creation of democratic governance in Nigeria in 1999 marked the beginning of Nigeria's transition toward a democratic political system in earnest. It would appear, however, that the fundamental ideas of good governance have not yet been achieved in Nigeria, despite the fact that the country has adhered to the principle of federal character and has been ruled democratically without interruption for the past 22 years and has also adopted that principle. This is particularly true when thinking about the governance of equal representation in governing bodies. Because of this, one might reach the conclusion that conducting frequent elections does not lead to representative democracy. This is a reasonable conclusion to get at. Adio (2015:21) emphasizes how important it is to have elections that are well attended by a large number of people and in which the votes of the people count. He said, "It is also obvious that representative democracy without elections will be a contradiction in terms, that a democracy where votes do not count is nothing but a joke, and that democracy's assurance of worthy governance will always be conveyed in the breach until those at the helm of power are aware that they stand a good chance of being voted out by the electorates." "It is also obvious that representative democracy without elections will be a contradiction in terms. It is also obvious that representative democracy without elections will "Representative democracy without elections would be an oxymoron in words," as another argument puts it (Adio, 2015:21).
According to Agbo (2008), the single most significant aspect in deciding the democratic trajectory of Nigeria moving ahead is the construction of a viable election mechanism that would fuel the country's democracy. This view comes from the author of the aforementioned study. According to him, such a system must be sturdy and flexible enough to endure the complexities of the federation, as well as just enough to take into consideration the distinctive qualities of each of Nigeria's countless people. This is necessary in order for the system to be successful. In the same vein, Iwu (2008:6) asserts that "at the heart of a successful democracy is the template of representation that should reflect the composition of the country as much as possible in number and heterogeneity of the population." This template of representation should reflect the composition of the country as much as possible in number and heterogeneity of the population. In other words, "the pattern of representation that should mirror the mix of the nation as much as feasible is at the core of every effective democracy." According to the contrast that was just provided, in order to achieve a manly democracy, it is necessary to have extensive engagement from the general population in the form of free and fair elections, in addition to equal representation.
In order to guarantee that everyone in Nigeria has an equal voice in government decisions, the best course of action would be to adopt a policy that is guided by the ideas of federalism. This idea was developed with the intention of ensuring that a fair representation is provided, one that is able to address the challenge posed by the politically, socially, and economically diverse composition of the Nigerian population. The purpose of this concept is to ensure that a fair representation is provided. In addition to this, the notion of a federal character is predicated on the construction of fair justice and a degree of equality that is geared toward the expansion of the nation (Osifeso, 2013). On the other hand, it would seem that the implementation of these principles has been impeded by differences and arguments, which at each and every point in time threaten the national unity and growth of Nigeria as a country that is federating. Take, for instance, the present issue that has been produced by the marginalization of the southern half of Nigeria, notably the south east, as a consequence of the appointments that the federal government has made; this is an excellent example. Take this as an illustration (Akinboye, 2015, Eke, 2015, Akinlotan, Zebulon, 2015). If they are not adequately handled, the recent and continuing demands for a state of Biafra and a nation of Oduduwa by the MOSSOB and certain youths in Yoruba land, respectively, might lead to another civil war in Nigeria (Onyekwere, 2015). All of these factors have enormous ramifications, both for the expansion and the stagnation of national economies and societies. Since this is the case, the question that needs to be addressed is how the federal character principles may be used as a tool for national development in order to address the issue of underdevelopment that exists in some areas of the country. As a result, the primary objective of this research is to investigate Nigeria's federal characteristics, which may be summarized as follows: tool for development, underdevelopment
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is becoming more widely accepted that Nigeria and a significant number of other countries on the African continent have failed as states. This is most likely owing to the fact that none of their features seem to be operating as intended at this time. In spite of the fact that many countries presently have favorable conditions for expansion, it seems as if they are moving backward into the dark ages of the past. A great number of scholars, both from the past and from the present, are of the opinion that the failure of these countries may be connected to a wide range of diverse problems. This category includes a wide variety of elements, some of which include culture, moral decadence, traditional religion, belief in occult powers, technological backwardness, colonialism, geography, biogeography, leadership, ethnicity, and others. Ejiogu E. Amaku (2011) has suggested in recent years that the problem of Africa's underdevelopment lies on the matter of temporality, or the lack of the wise use of time. He made this assertion in his article "The Problem of Africa's Underdevelopment Relies on the Question of Temporality." According to him, this is the primary reason behind Africa's lagging development. According to him, the fact that Africa is lagging behind other regions of the world in terms of the advancement of technology is evidence that the ontological significance of time has not been adequately grasped or addressed. This is evidenced by the fact that Africa is lagging behind other regions of the world in terms of technological advancement. The dilemma that Africa finds itself in is being exacerbated by an increasing number of reasons. According to Chukwuokolo (2011), the proper application of reason is what shows the inequalities that exist across various cultures in terms of the rates of development. His statements in favor of this theory include allusions to China, the Byzantine Empire, and Tibet. The Byzantine civilization is credited with the development of the clockwork, whereas the Tibetan culture is credited with the invention of the turbine. On the other hand, rather of concentrating just on the commitments made to advance, they widen the applications of their own discoveries. The discoveries produced by these people were used by Europeans much later in history. They carried out the tasks in a manner that was informed by their deliberation and thinking. And as a direct consequence of this, people are now luxuriating in the advantages that these great developments have brought about. The most evident lesson that can be learned from Chukwuokolo's situation is that the most significant factor in Africa's position as the continent with the lowest standard of living on the global stage is the use of logic and reasoning in an inappropriate way. The results that were to be expected from the causes that are most often blamed for Africa's lack of advancement have been seen. For instance, the justifications that were given for colonization are no longer relevant since they have been around for a very long period. The strategies that were used in the process of colonizing countries in Africa were also utilized in the process of conquering China and Korea. In spite of this, they have emerged more strong and improved practically immediately after regaining their freedom as a result of maintaining a firm commitment and communicating openly with one another. As was the case in the past with colonialism, it is no longer acceptable to refer to Africa's culture as one of the grounds for the continent's failure to make progress. This was formerly the case. Alexander the Great's overly ambitious pursuit of a unified empire resulted in a great deal of cultural devastation for the Greeks and other peoples whose traditions he was responsible for protecting. This cultural devastation was a direct result of Alexander the Great's overly ambitious pursuit of a unified empire. The Greeks had the opinion that this initiative was proceeding in the wrong manner. Aristotle, who was the great emperor's tutor, would have been subjected to terrible punishment for his conduct if he hadn't been able to escape the nation in time. The amount of rage was such that no one would forgive him. He would not provide his approval for the Athenians to commit the same intellectual transgression a second time. Despite this, the Greeks were able to successfully reconstruct their culture once they reclaimed their freedom and moved on with their lives. This study contends that ethnicity is the most significant factor that impedes the growth of Nigeria as a country. This is despite the fact that all of the reasons that were listed above as to why Africa is considered to be the world's underdog were given as to why Africa is considered to be the underdog. This is due to the fact that differences in ethnicity produce friction amongst the several groups of people that call Nigeria home. Meaningful progress will continue to be a foggy term until the problem is tackled in the proper way. There are over 250 distinct ethnic groups in Nigeria, and each one of them is fighting for recognition and relevance in the political scene in the country; each group is afraid of being dominated by others; each group is complaining about being politically marginalized. Nigeria is home to a diverse population of people who speak a wide variety of languages. These ethnic groups may be found in their homeland of Nigeria, which is a nation in Africa. The uproar seems to be becoming louder as the years go by, and as a consequence, it appears to be putting the nation's capacity to operate as a nation-state in jeopardy. It is not accurate to describe the situation as heaving and gasping since it is not acceptable. If major steps are not taken to avert this result, it is feasible that the prediction made by certain scholars that Nigeria will disintegrate apart by the year 2030 might come true. If this does not happen, it is possible that this prediction could come true. The goal of this study is to investigate how the federal character of Nigeria can be effectively utilized as a tool for the growth of the nation, and how, if it is not effectively utilized, it will continue to bring about the underdevelopment of the nation. The research will also investigate how this can be accomplished.
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