The Military in the Quest for Stable Federal System in Nigeria

This book takes a look at the issues relating to the yearnings for stable federal system at the 1994/1995 constitutional conference. The conference was a response of the military government to the demands for the restructuring of the federal system with a view to stimulating stable polity. Deliberations at the conference clearly showed that the Nigerian polity, nay its federal structure lacked the requisite political strength capable of stimulating stability over a long time. The study discovered that centralisation of power engendered by prolonged impaired stable federal system. The Nigerian state stood on a political platform of ethnic hostility with a pronounced fear of domination. The study concludes that restructuring through devolution of powers to the component units remains a more veritable starting point to redefine the Nigerian federal system. The components units should be restructured to accommodate either the immediate post independence arrangement of three regional or six regional structures.