Architecture of Nigerian federalism is flawed, says US prof

Richard Joseph, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, Illinois, US, says there is a loophole in the structure of the Nigerian federalism.

Speaking on Friday during a programme at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Joseph said he had discovered that the country is plunged into the debate of the 4th republic.

He said Nigeria reckons with “uncertainties in many domains”.

Joseph listed the uncertainties as recession, military intervention in politics, insurgency in the north and Niger Delta.

He said there was the need for reflections on Nigerian federalism, to ascertain which system of government would aptly drive the country towards progressive change.

He said many people have suggested the parliamentary system of government, restructuring the government based on the six geopolitical zones.

But that the failure of the unitary system, and the defeat of Biafra, shows that Nigeria cannot be made a confederation of sovereign states, and federalism remains the best option.

Joseph said until the powers of the federal government are curtailed, state institutions perform the functions they were instituted for, and a radical change in the 1999 constitution is effected, true federalism will not be achieved.

He suggested what he termed “conglomerate governance” and defined as “a number of different thins or parts put together to form a whole but remain distinct entities,” as very pertinent to the debate of restructure.