Nigeria: A Federation in Search of ‘True Federalism’

This chapter focuses on issues related to increasing agitations since the democratic transition in 1999 for a more functional federal system that fairly distributes the oil wealth. Here it is argued that increased agitations in the democratic era reflect a structural problem in the distribution of opportunities in Nigeria’s oil-driven federalism. Indeed, there seems to be a consensus that the practice of federalism in Nigeria does not conform to the fundamental principles of federalism because of the many conflicts within the system. In other words, Nigeria epitomises a federation without federalism. This chapter, therefore, aims to examine the perception of the Nigerian people with regard to the practice of federalism in the country. In order to achieve this, an attempt is made to examine the mounting debate over ‘true federalism’ and restructuring, which have increasingly taken an ethno-regional dimension.