Page 1 of 17

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 04 Issue 08

August 2018

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 72

A Unitary System of Government in a Federal Structure in Nigeria

(Unifedism): Implication for National Integration and Sustainable

Development.

By

Augustine Ejiofor Onyishi. PhD

onyishiaugustine@gmail.com

Department of Political Science

University of Calabar, Cross-River State Nigeria

Abstracts

The issue of the nexus between federating units and the central government in a given political society is

the fundamental question of our constitutional time. Experience has revealed that it cannot be settled by

the opinion of one generation, since it is a question of growth, and each successive stage of our political

and economic development gives it a new aspect and makes it a new national question to be explored.

This study examined the variant of the system of government in Nigeria and its impact on the quest for

sustainable nation development as well as national integration. It revealed however, that the political

environment under the prevailing system of government in Nigeria is hostile to both national integration

and sustainable development. Nonetheless, the study recommends that a development model rooted on

sharing of Government revenue and the struggle to control the central government must give way to a

new structure that will challenge and drive productivity in different regions across the country. This new

model, the study contends must take into account that the factors driving productivity in today’s world are

no longer driven by fossil oil but rather the proliferation of a knowledge-based economy.

Keywords: Unifedralism, Confederation, Political Elites, National Development, Political Integration and monocephelous

executive

Introduction

A unitary system of government is here seen as an administrative process in which the whole

governing and administrative authority of a nation resides in the central or federal government of that

collectivity, leaving the regional or federating units with little or no administrative authority. It is

therefore, a society or state that is governed as a single power, in other words, making the central

government ultimately supreme and absolute. It is in this regard, the final legal depositary of the social

wills within its boundary, because it set the perspectives of all other federating units or regions that made

up the country as is evident in Nigeria. A unitary system of government brings within its power all forms

of human activity the control of which it considered attractive and pleasing without regards to what the

federating units may think of it (see the federal government perception of anti-open grazing laws in some

states in the Middle-belt region of Nigeria). In other words the federating units or regional governments

can only exercise those powers that the central government chooses to delegate to them even in matters of

internal security; this is inimical to federal principles and is not obtainable in a true federalism. It is as a

Page 2 of 17

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 04 Issue 08

August 2018

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 73

result of this oblique logic of this supremacy of central government in a unitary system that it is here

argued that whatever remains free of its control does so by its own authorization. Since it can infuse its

will on any internal issue irrespective of its status in the particular region or the federating unit to which it

is domicile with no legal limitation of any kind, what it purposes as a matter of fact becomes right within

that geographical expression by mere announcement of intention. In a unitary system of government, the

regional government or the component units is established or created at will by the central government as

is evidence in Nigeria (from three regions to thirty six states and FCT) for administrative reasons, instead

of the regions demanding for the unions called Nigeria, in form of federalism. In a unitary system these

component units or regions can also be abolished at will by the central government as is evidence in the

twenty two (22) mainland regions of France that was merged or reduced to thirteen (13) regions. The

central government can as well broaden their political and administrative authority just like it can narrow

it down at will, as is evidence in the history of Nigeria states or regional political and administrative

powers from independence to the present times. Although, political power may be delegated to the

federating units in form of devolution of power to the third tier of government by statute in a unitary

system of governments, recall that the central government remains supreme in a unitary system and can

abrogate the acts of devolved governments or curtail their powers.

The above exposition of the unitary system of government by implication created administrative

situation that is directly contradictory to that of federal system of government as practice in contemporary

times, particularly in the developed countries of the world such as the United State of America, to

mention but one country. Though that is not the issue in focus here, what is, is that a closer examination

of the exposition above revealed that Nigeria government, though claimed to be operating a federal

constitution professes all the above principles of a unitary system of government in practice, thereby

creating an alternative novel administrative system that is better referred to as unifedism or unifederalism

(A system of government that is operating a mixed principle). It is understandable however, that in

contemporary times more than ever before, there exist two main dominant political system of

governments globally; it is either a unitary system of government or a federal system of government,

though some have emphasis quasi-federalism. Our discussion in this study shall concentrate more on the

federal system of government for two reasons. First, it is a system of government that is most appropriate

for any heterogeneous society not just Nigeria because of its major attributes that shall be discussed later

in this study as it progresses, it is also a system of government that gives the minority ethnic or religious

group a sense of belonging in their own country because it encourage political participation by taking

government to the grassroots. Secondly, once the federal system of government is understood in this

study the task of understanding the unitary system of government is accomplished as well, since it is a

system of government under which all the semantic and epistemological contradiction of the unitary

system of government have been resolved. For instance, while the unitary system of government attempt

to accomplish national integration through coercion the federal system of government approaches

integration by consent. What then is national integration? The answer to that will be briefly addressed

shortly and might be revisited later but a reader who intends to follow our line of argument must learn

how to proceed dialectically. Nevertheless, national integration is here seen as a sense of territorial

nationalism which subsume a great number of ethnic nationalities in a given political society, while at the

same time eliminating and, or ameliorating any form of regional or ethnic loyalties. The point being made

is that, for national integration to occur in any heterogeneous society such as Nigeria, a significant

number of the population must develop a spirit of oneness, a strong national value among themselves that

supersede any form of ethnic, religious or cultural allegiance. Including an institutionalized system of

Page 3 of 17

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 04 Issue 08

August 2018

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 74

socio cultural and political education, a shared norms, attitudes and common values that must be

encouraging the display of a unifying behavior among the people within the heterogeneous society, this

societal norms and value must not be coerced in any form as is obtainable in the unitary system, for it to

serve its purpose.

Although scholars mostly emphasizes political integration and social integration in their analysis

of national integration,(Neuman,1976; Philip, 1964), This study is of the view that national integration

subsumes the whole elements (social, economic, political, cultural) into something more cohesive with

the parts linked more closely together in order to co-exist peacefully and harmoniously. Because It is only

through this process that people from heterogeneous society can establish a deep sense of ‘we' feeling and

belongingness to a given territorial society and by implication develop a feeling of national loyalty. With

this process, it becomes possible to sustain a harmonious and lively relationship between people of

different ethnic, religious or cultural groups that has found themselves in a definite geographical location

otherwise known as country. This process is here argued can only be accomplished in the political

economy of true federalism since it can be elastic and accommodative in a heterogeneous situation. The

above postulate inevitably begs the question as to what a true federalism really entails, what type of

relationship should exist between the center and the federating units in a federal system since the Nigeria

brand has continue to generate schism among the component units as a result of mixed principle that is

here referred to as unifedism. Professor K, C. Wheare, a major proponent of federalism, in his classic

work made an insightful note concerning what federalism is and what it’s not. He passionately contends

that federalism is a constitutional arrangement which divides the lawmaking powers and functions

between two levels of government in such a way that each within its respective spheres of jurisdiction and

competence is independent and coordinated. This constitutional form is brought about by circumstances,

where people are prepared to give up only certain limited powers and wish to retain other limited powers

to be exercised by coordinated authorities to whom it is entrusted on their behalf. Note that this limited

power that is being given up by the people to the central government is not taken from them by force but

is being surrendered willingly, and for that will be devoid of any rancor. For instance, if we voluntarily

refrain from going to school for personal preseason, we will not feel deprived because the force we put

upon ourselves does not seem to us as violation of our freedom hence, there is no reason to aggress, but

that is not the same thing as to be restrained from going to school by a will we do not recognize as our

own. Wheare, however, contends that coordinate supremacy of all the levels of government with regard to

their respective functions remains a cardinal principle of true federalism or federal system of government

(Wheare, 1963). These susceptibility in seeing federalism as a system with centripetal tendency that can

channel incompatible inter ethnic hostility into conciliation and federal co-operations” was also reflected

in Carnell (1961; 6) essay thus: “in tropical areas characterized by extreme cultural and ethnic diversity...

federalism comes as something of a political panacea” Nevertheless, since this study seek to unveil the

facades of unifederalism, national integration and sustainable development in Nigeria we shall first of all

attempt a clarification of the major concepts and or, variables after which we shall assess its impact on

sustainable development in Nigeria.

Sustainable Development

In an attempt to connect the problem of sustainable national development in Nigeria to a

particular brand of political system, the concept of sustainable development was perceived as that brand