Agbonika, John Alewo Musa; (1991) Federalism and military rule in Nigeria. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis examines the practice of federalism under military rule in Nigeria. The primary objective is to determine to what extent federalism is practicable under military governance. The argument is that military rule and federalism are two fundamentally different concepts of political organisations, and that it is a misnomer to call a military government federal because of the inherent contradictions between the two. The thesis is divided into twelve chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the introduction. Chapter 2 provides the theoretical framework. It examines the concept of federalism. Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 provide the empirical background to the study. They trace the development, basis, as well as the status of Nigerian federalism under civil rule. They also examine the contradictions between federalism and military rule. Chapter 7 discusses the advent and legality of military government in Nigeria. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 look at the machinery of the military administration, while Chapter 11 analyses the federal-state fiscal and financial relations. The concluding Chapter 12 summarises the broad issues of the preceding chapters and highlights the effects of military rule on the Nigerian Federation in particular and on the study of federalism in general. The conclusion that emerges from this study is that federalism and military rule are incompatible. Nigeria's military government has in practice subverted the federal principle. It has been operating a quasi-federal rather than a truly federal system of government. It is argued that a return to a civilian federal system, adjusted to meet the country's needs is essential if Nigeria is to have an accountable, stable democratic government and respect for human rights.

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