“The power of opinion is irresistible”- Edward Gibbon

Federalism is characterised by the devolution or delegation of powers to the entities or tiers that form the government. As such, the regional or state governments and the provincial or local governments have their own lists of “to-do-things” outlined clearly in the constitutive documents that form the basis of the federal arrangement. Matters such as defense, foreign affairs, customs and excise, immigration and naturalisation, control of river routes and seaports, aviation, etc, are delegated to the central administration while all other residual matters are devolved upon the other units.

In this way, division of labour, so to speak, is achieved and separation of powers established between and among the different levels of the state administration. The limited or quasi-federalism where the central government determined finances, defence and foreign affairs only, while the associating regions controlled their own affairs may not be feasible or recommended for Nigeria. It has been experimented before and it failed to address the peculiar complexities of governance in Nigerian. A more expansive and robust system of federalism, therefore, became necessary and indispensable.

There are no insurmountable barriers towards the further strengthening of federalism in Nigeria even where there exist disgruntlements and confusions here and there. The greatest threats to federalism according to Buchan, are “parochialism of a party and the accidental caprice of the state”. To guard against such militating factors, adhering to rule of law and commitment to the constitution are the best guarantees against both happening, thereby jeopardising the federal arrangement. The way offices are conceived and the powers given to them are also critical to the success of a federal arrangement.

The most important offices are broadly the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Each has its delimited powers and jurisdictions and each exercises these powers under the broad tutelage of the national constitution. According to Buchan: “The rock on which many federal enterprises have split is the election of the supreme head, and in most systems it is the weakest point.” The executive’s powers are important in giving direction and focus to the entire federation. It is the focal point or pivot of the government of the federation, as such its integrity and soundness must be above suspicion, especially from party interests and factional preferences.

Likewise, the office of the executive reflects the moral substance of the federation. Therefore, its preservation under all exigencies must be the primary duty of the uniting parts in the federation. The executive, therefore, becomes the centripetal force rather than a centrifugal power in keeping the federal structure together in one piece. It is the belt buckle that keeps everything else in place and in order.

Powers that are devolved to the executive by the constitution may vary from country to country, and the various differing circumstances that admit the coming together of the federating units. But in most situations, they are clearly guided towards providing a united and purposeful lead on matters that affect all the constituent parts of the federation. Such matters as the defense of the country, internal affairs, foreign policy, taxation, ports and railways, immigration, prisons, federally enacted legislation, and a few other critical matters are usually left to the centre to deal with, with certain caveats and restrictions as to the overall interests of the constituent parts.

Federalism does not destroy individual national, ethnic or religious identities as it is sometimes erroneously believed. Rather, federalism consolidates them and offers each the space to grow and develop at its own preferred pace and tempo under the larger canopy of the federal system. Arguably, economic matters more than most, prove the catalyst in the dissolution of federal systems. Variations in economic situations of the different units and their disparate rates of development, fuelled by some disgruntlements here and there, will easily blow into uncontrollable controversy that is capable of derailing the federal system.

Control of resources in the different parts when allowed to become the subject of widespread disquiet, creates undue tension and prejudice, often based on selfish considerations rather than rational points of view. Excluding one or some units from access to the resources of another unit, creates distortions in perceptions and sentiments of attachment to the federal system. Among the centrifugal forces that seem to threaten Nigeria’s federal system today, the most obvious and the one that had played such destructive role in the country’s history is tribalism or ethnicity.

This tendency towards exclusivity of one ethnic group and seeing itself threatened by others is a feeling shared by all the tribes without exception. It is an irrational sentiment that thrives on fear that is often fuelled by parochial and even paranoid apprehension about other people’s supposed antagonism towards the seemingly aggrieved entity. Since no single state in Nigeria can claim to be wholly made up of only one homogeneous tribe or ethnic group, it then becomes futile to transport such a sentiment on to the larger national stage, while seeking to downplay it at the state level.

In this regard, even if the federal system is broken up, all that we will succeed in doing is fragmenting and multiplying this problem across the entire political spectrum in microcosm. Rather than becoming a centrifugal force, tribalism can actually be the opposite, a centripetal force that should unite all the entities under the canopy of one strong and vibrant federal system for each tribe’s protection and advancement of its interests. If ultimately our federal system collapses, it would do so largely or wholly on account of tribal rivalries around economic factors and nothing more or less. The differences in economic development and disparities in welfare of the people in the various States will, if unregulated and when left unattended, ultimately be the undoing of our federal system.

It will breed deep-seated jealousies and discontent, and while those that have more resources would begrudge those that have less and withhold sharing any with them.