The Imperative of a True Federation

Since the end of the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970, Nigerian leadership Elite in Politics and in Government have been preoccupied with attempts to return Nigeria to a True Federation, that obtained and or experienced by Nigeria from 1952-1965. That is the Period when Nigeria witnessed true Unity, Peace, and made fantastic Economic Progress as one Nation. A True Federation or Nation State, one recalls is a Nation of two or more ethnic Nationalities or different Nations. It is imperative that Nigeria returns immediately to a True Federation in order to make industrial and economic progress in peace commensurate with her talented large Human and natural Resources endowment. For instance, the United Kingdom of Great Britain a top Industrial / digital Economy is a True Federation of the Nations of England, Scotland and Wales, which found themselves living independently as Nations in one Great Island called Great Britain and which in 1706 came together voluntarily to form one Nation State and named it United Kingdom  (UK) of Great Britain under a mutually agreed and consensus Treaty of Union of the three Nations in 1706. Canada is another example of a True Federation which came into existence following the American War of Independence from Europe, when some English Speaking Americans and some French Speaking Americans, respectively, which want to retain their respective relationships with their respective Mother Countries of Britain and France, respectively, simply  crossed over the NIAGRA FALLS in North America and formed a Nation State named Canada under mutually agreed Terms of Union. Canada is making fantastic economic progress as one Nation. There is no reason why Nigeria must not do the same.  Incidentally CANADA is a Red Indian Word for Union.

In 1914 Nigeria as a Nation State of over 120 Nations or ethnic Nationalities, was created albeit by Amalgamation of the force of British Imperial Power and Colonial Diplomacy of the following different ethnic Nationalities or Nations, namely Hausa-Fulani,  Yoruba, Igbo, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, Edo, Nupe , Ijaw and many others with smaller populations spread along the Length and Breadth of the River Niger from the North to its Delta at the Atlantic Ocean, branching Eastwards along the way to Benue River, terminating in what is now known as the Middle Belt Zone of present Nigeria. It is reported however that by 1914, there was very little political / economic contact among many of these constituent ethnic Nationalities of Nigeria (please  see the details in the British Colonial 1931 Census of Nigeria) before their forced Amalgamation by the British Colonial Authorities into one Nation State.

It is however reported that Colonial Britain experienced a lot of difficulties in keeping Nigeria together as one Political Entity in Unity, peace and progress from 1914-1950. In order to resolve the complex political / economic difficulties arising from forced Amalgamation and running / ruling Nigeria as one Unitary State, British Colonial Authorities based on her own UK experience in 1706, decided to run Nigeria as a Federation instead of as a Unitary State. So in 1951 to resolve Nigeria’s complex Political and Administrative difficulties, the British Colonial Authorities called for a National Conference of the True Representatives of the constituent Nations of Nigeria, led by Sir Ahmadu Bello, leading Northern Nigeria Representatives, (now 19 States), Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, leading South Eastern Nigeria Representatives, now the 5 States of Igbo Nation and the States of Cross River, AkwaIbon, Rivers and Bayelsa, respectively, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, leading the South West Nigeria Representatives, now the 6 Yoruba States and the States of Edo and Delta, respectively, for the Restructuring Conference of Nigeria, in 1951, which was held in Yoruba Land at Ibadan, Western Nigeria, under the Chairmanship of British Colonial Secretary, Sir Oliver Littleton. .

The British Colonial Secretary, Sir Oliver Littleton, as a Guide during the Conference, informed the Representative Delegates, that “in a sustainable Federation, a Federating Unit or Region must be sufficiently viable and sufficiently powerful to develop at its own pace and factor endowments and that the Federal (Central) Government, to be created ,  should not be so powerful and not so attractive to undermine the Federating Regional Governments in order to avoid fanning Nigeria’s Ethnic, Cultural and Religious Diversity into a destructive competition to grab and control the very attractive and very powerful Federal (Central) Government.” That is why all the Leaders of the Nigerian Federation Conference , Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Awolowo, respectively sent their Deputies to run the Federal (Central) Government and stayed back at their respective Regions to run their respective Regional Governments from the onset of Federal Administration of Nigeria in 1952.

The Ibadan Conference of 1951 reached, mutually and by consensus and adopted the following Terms of Union and or Treaty for the Administration of the amalgamated Nation of Nigeria, as a Federation from 1952, namely,

1. The Federal (Central) Government is to operate as a Coordinating Government and not a Controlling Government, but has exclusive Responsibility for the Common National Services such as Armed Forces,, Nigerian Police, Citizenship, Customs, , Central Bank of Nigeria, / National Currency, Immigration , Foreign Affairs including Foreign Trade, National Education Standards but not Educational Institutions which are the Responsibilities of Federating Regional Governments, and National Scientific, Technological Industrial Goods standards including Agricultural / Mineral Commodity Export Standards , Trunk A Roads / Interconnecting High ways of Nigerian Federation, and any other responsibility not specified for the Federal (Central) Government is a matter for the Federating Regional Governments, For more Details, please see the Report of Nigerian Conference at Ibadan, Western Nigeria, 1951, attended by the Political Leaders of Nigeria’s Federating Regions, led respectively by Sir Ahmadu Bello for Northern Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe for South East Nigeria  and Chief Obafemi Awolowo of Western Nigeria which include Mid -West Nigeria now Edo and Delta States and Chaired by the then British Colonial Secretary,  Sir Oliver Littleton. This Conference gave rise to the Macpherson Constitution of Nigeria.
2. Each Federating Unit or Regional Government is to take full and exclusive responsibility / control of its Land, Agriculture, Economy, Education at all levels of its Citizens and other factors of socio-economic development within its domain, without any interference whatso ever from the Federal (Central) Government as agreed in 1951 Nigeria’s Restructuring Conference, Chaired by the then British Colonial Secretary Sir Oliver Littleton,
3. The Federal (Central) Government was required then at the Conference to develop the existing University College, Ibadan, established in 1948 to a full University on behalf of the Three (3) Federating Regions. That is why the Eastern Regional Government established its own Regional University, the UNN, in 1960 before October 1, 1960 the year of Nigeria Independence, the Western Regional Government under Chief Obafemi Awolowo established Apapa Industrial Estates, Illupeju Industrial Estates and Ikeja Industrial Estates in Lagos, then part of Western Nigeria. Later in 1962 the Northern Regional Government established its own University now known as Ahmadu Bello University and the Western Regional Government established its own University then known as University of Ife, Ile-Ife,  and by  1965 Nigeria has a total of 5 Universities (University of Ibadan (UI) and University of Lagos (UNILAG), all (Federal) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and University of Ife Ileife (UNIFE), respectively, all Regional Universities,  
4. The Financing of the Nigerian Federation as then based on mutually / freely agreed Terms as follows,  namely, (a) Each Federating Regional Government  or Unit should contribute to the National Financing Pool 50% of its Export Revenue derived from its Region to a distributive National Revenue Pool but keeping the other 50 % exclusively to its self (b) The Federal (Central) Government has no land Resources for Economic Activities but only a Capital Territory and therefore no Export Revenue as its only Revenue is from the Taxes derived from the Personnel working for the Federal Government, (c) Out of the Regional Government Contributions the Budget needed for the Federal (Central) Government Responsibilities will be worked out and passed on to the Federal (Central) Government (d) the balance from the Regional Governments Contributions shall be shared out to all the Governments of Nigerian Federation in proportion to the contribution of each Government to the National Revenue Pool, and ( e) It is interesting to note that in the 1954 Revenue Sharing Exercise, that the Western Region of Nigeria got 45 Million pound Sterling the highest for that year, the Northern Nigeria (now 19  States got 35 Million pounds Sterling, the Federal (Central) Government got 30 Million pounds Sterling and the Eastern Nigeria Government got 10 Million pounds Sterling the lowest for that Year , 1954,
5. In the mutually Agreed Terms of Union of the three Federating Regions of Nigerian Federation as agreed during the 1951 National Conference at Ibadan, it was resolved that all Political Parties shall be ideologically competitive and not ethnic Nationality (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba Igbo, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, Edo, Nupe, Ijaw and what have you) Based, to avoid divisive ethnic Nationality Politics as was the case of what happened during the UK of Great Britain in which some Scottish Citizens who did not want to belong to UK of Great Britain, formed what is now known as Separatist Scottish Nationalists,     
6.  Federal Structure of Government recognized that Nigeria as a Nation State has heterogenous populations with diverse Religious / Cultural Communities and therefore cannot / and should not operate a Unitary Government Administration otherwise there will be a monumental Political / Ethnic / Religious Crises.  See the ongoing Agitation in which NdiIgbo ethnic Nationality Leadership is calling for NdiIgbo Presidency in 2023, what of other 50 ethnic Nationalities?
7. Each Regional Government is completely independent of each other and independent of the Federal (Central) Government, then in Lagos,
8. Each Regional Government has its own Constitution and could legislate on both the Concurrent and Residual Matters, and it is reported that Each Regional Government has Diplomatic Relations with London of UK of Great Britain, as well as the High Commissioner for the Federal (Central) Government, and
9. ALL the Three (3) Federating Regional Governments of the then 1952-1965 were in healthy competition in economic development with each other, with Western Regional Government under Chief Awolowo, setting the pace in socio-economic developments, free Education for all her Citizens, establishing Western Television, the first in Africa and the Eastern Nigeria under Dr Azikiwe  establishing the UNN, and the Industrial Estates in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Calabar etc. all in healthy competition with Chief Awolowo led Western Nigeria, and the Northern Nigerian Government seemed not so much interested in such industrial / Economic Development Activities  and
10. To end by restating that the Capital of the Federal (Central) Government or Nigerian Federation was Lagos, and that of Northern Nigeria was Kaduna, that of Western Nigeria was Ibadan and that of Eastern Nigeria was Enugu, respectively.

The above Federal Structure Arrangement ran successfully from 1952-1965, when the Military Interventions in Politics in January 1966 and July 1966 and the consequent Civil War of 1967-1970 swept away the True Federal Structure of Nigerian Federation. Unfortunately, since 1970 all the attempts to return Nigeria to the above sustainable Federation in peace since 1970 to present 2019 has been a failure. The only peaceful alternative since the attempts through National Conferences have failed is to go through the true Representatives of Nigeria in the National and State Assemblies in which the existing Nigeria’s Constitution gives the Authority / Responsibility to amend the Constitution the Way Nigeria wants. In this Respect 2/3 of National Assembly and 2/3 of 36 States Assembly can automatically amend the Constitution the way Nigeria wants. This means that neither the President nor the State Governors nor the partisan Political Parties can amend the Constitution of Nigeria as at present. Even attempts at National Conference of Nigeria’s constituent ethnic Nationalities cannot do it because they can only make Recommendations to the National Assembly / 36 States Assemblies who are constitutionally empowered to do so. These Assemblies have also the Power to veto out the President and the Governors, if they refuse to assent to their Decisions.

So Nigerians, there is no more need to continue to grope in the Dark and no more Nzogbu- Nzogwu, issueless, hate ridden / demonization / abusive partisan Politics in the search for a True Federation for Nigeria.  All that is now required is for the National Assembly is to pass by 2/3 the 9 Items or stipulations above and determine by consensus the required number of the Federating Units or Regions. Now, it is over to You (National Assembly/ 36 States Assemblies) to give Nigeria in peace the True Federal Constitution, Nigeria needs for real unity, real peace and real industrial / Economic Progress, the Nation State of Nigeria so much deserves to grow and develop as one Nation.

Humbly Submitted to the Nigerian Public and the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) and the 36 States Assemblies for information, public enlightenment and urgent necessary Action. Please Sirs, the Country is waiting.

Felix N.C. Oragwu, FSAN, MInstP (IOP) London

Former Senior Academic in Physics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN), from 1960s,
Head of Research and Development (R&D)  Planning Division / Coordinator of  Technological Services of the Industrial War Machine that operated in the defunct State of Biafra, 1967-1970.
Retired Senior Director in Charge of the Department of Science and Technology (S&T) Policy, Planning and Development of the Federal Government Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) 1979-1987
Former Technology Development Consultant to UNECA, UNDP and UNIDO