Addressing Nigeria’s Politico-Structural Contradictions The Need for State Constitutions and Collegiate Federal Executive

Abstract

Since its emergence, the Nigerian State has grappled with challenges arising from the contradictions of its history, and issues that perpetuate these contradictions without seeming respite. This study deals with the arguments over these contradictions as manifest in the country’s political arrangement. The country currently has seen resurgence in the wave of separatist torrents, leading to massive deployment of the military in most States of the country rather than stationing. These separatist torrents and State response has led to securitization of the country’s politics especially in the South East. The study examines existing centripetal and centrifugal arguments for State organization, making a case for State constitutions, and a collegiate central executive. Data is gathered from documents, and analyzed using the qualitative descriptive technique. The study finds that Nigeria is in terminal political decline, and would likely not survive its contradictions. The study recommends that for a revamp, Nigeria must address its structural contradictions by continuous cession of governing power to sub-national units. Also, states of the federation or such other nomenclature that the country may adopt in its political structuring must have constitutions guiding its internal governing arrangement so as to avoid situations where state executives become more powerful relative to its citizens. Furthermore, a collegiate federal executive is necessary to address issues of balance and representation in the federal executive.