Law and Nigerian Federalism: Issues and Challenges.

Abstract

Federalism is one in which governmental powers that exist in the country are shared between a central government and government of component regions, so that each government is legally and constitutionally independent and autonomous. However, the Nigeria federalism is been misdirect, mismanaged and plundered by people with personal agenda. The main aim of this paper is to examine the law and contemporary challenges of Nigerian federalism. This paper used doctrinal method of legal research work. Moreover, the paper observed that the major contemporary challenges of Nigerian federalism are inter-ethnic rivalry and sectional domination of powers, military invasion and over-centralisation of power at centre, conflicts over Revenue Allocation Formula and resource control, corruption in Nigeria and bad governance. These challenges require vital reactions and proper constitutional amendments. In view of this, the paper recommended that centralisation of Nigerian federation should be addressed via constitutional amendment, and all stakeholders should concentrate more on how to manage the present Nigerian federal structures towards ensuring national unity and integration, stability and development, rather than promoting superfluous division and disintegration.