Federalism, Ethnic Minorities and National Integration in Nigeria

Abstract

The chapter evaluates the effectiveness of federalism in the quest for national integration in Nigeria. The question addressed is whether federalism has been helpful to Nigeria’s ethnic minorities in their quest for self-determination and equality in the power equations in the country. Fear of inter-ethnic domination is a glaring political problem in Nigeria. British colonial policy failed to integrate the diverse Nigerian peoples. The chapter shows that federalism has been an effective instrument for national integration and the protection of ethnic minorities in Nigeria. The chapter, indeed, corroborates the popular view that, without the federal compromise, Nigeria might have already entered the graveyard of history. Federalism has counteracted ethnicity in Nigeria by prescribing state boundaries in sufficient numbers to cut across previously strong expressions of ethno-regionalism. Federalism has, however, been an expensive and politically cumbersome and complex system for Nigeria. The cost of maintaining national and subnational governments’ executives, legislatures and bureaucracies in the face of the challenges of welfare services, economic growth and other demands on public treasury no doubt makes federalism an economically expensive solution to the quest for national integration in Nigeria.