Contending issues in the management of Intergovernmental Relations in the Nigerian federal administration system

Abstract

Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) is the interaction that takes place among different levels of government within a country. State governments are independent within constitutional limitations of the centre while local governments are subordinated to the states. Usually, the concept is mostly associated with states having a multi-ethnically segmented administrative system like Nigeria where relationship between the Federal and the major component units are formally spelt out in the constitution. A full analysis of IGR must cover Federal-State-Local, Federal-State, Federal-Local, Inter-State, State-Local, and Inter-Local relations enshrined in the constitutional framework. The main issues given prominence in the study of IGR, are the allocation of jurisdictional/constitutional powers, administrative/political mechanisms, and intergovernmental fiscal relations. This paper attempts to examine each of these issues in turn highlighting the increasing dependence of the states and Local Governments on the Federal government and the ubiquity of Federal Government in areas considered an exclusive pressure of the state and local government. It also draws the attention to worthwhile lessons that Nigeria could learn from the experiences of its operation in a federal administration system.