NIGERIAN FEDERALISM AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE FOURTH REPUBLIC

Abstract

Nigeria is the most populous black nation that got her political independence from colonial grip in 1960. The journey to her independence was tortuous and rancorous among the defunct North, West and East. It was not quite far from its nationhood that democratic journey was interrupted by the military junta. The1979 and 1999 constitutions adopted the American presidential system of government where powers are shared between the central and other layers of government as evidently practiced in the second, aborted third and fourth republics. It is hoped that Federal constitutions is better for Nigeria giving its plurality and heterogeneity. On the contrary, peace and security continue to evade Nigeria. It is on this note, that this paper interrogates the implications of the adoption of the presidential system of democracy on national security in the Nigeria’s fourth republic. The paper uses secondary sources of information and in-depth analysis. It adopts the Frustration-Aggression theory as a framework of analysis. The research concludes that fissiparous tendency, banditry and other forms of insecurity that ravage the country are evil manifestations of and radical reaction to political brigandage, unrestrained struggle to access and retain power by desperate political forces. It, thus, recommends financial autonomy/fiscal federalism, delisting of items from constitutional exclusive list and rotational presidency among others. These will stablise the polity and make competition for presidential seat less attractive and fascinating.