₦airaland Forum

Feudal Federalism: The 60-Year Lie That Has Held Nigeria Hostage

There is a lie that the elites of Nigeria have told the people for 60 years. That if we just find better people, the system will work. If we find a more honest President, a more competent Governor, a more patriotic Minister, Nigeria will work. That is not true. A bad system will always defeat good intentions.

The unworkable system we operate did not start in 1999 or 1979. It started in January 1966 when the military took power to the centre. It was then constitutionalized in 1979 when we adopted our own funny Presidential system, and reinforced in 1999 under the current constitution. For 60 years, we have run a systemic structure that concentrates power, money and opportunity in Abuja.

What we operated before 1966 was not perfect. But it worked. It was productive and competitive. Regions kept 50% of what they produced and developed at their own pace. They policed their communities and built industrial estates because power was close to the people. That system only needed improvement. The military truncated it.

Our elites and a section of so-called intellectuals keep saying that Nigeria operates the American Presidential system. The truth is that we don't.

America's system was designed to prevent elite capture. Power resides in 50 states and thousands of cities. A Governor in Texas controls his own economy, energy, and policing. Washington can shut down and America will still work. A Mayor in New York runs his city, he controls his own police department of over 36,000 officers and runs a city budget of $126 billion, bigger than the entire Federal Government of Nigeria which is $49.38 billion and all 36 states combined which is N40.14 trillion, with over $60 billion to spare. He does not call Washington to fix a pothole or rail.

Our system does the opposite. It was designed for elite capture. Everything flows to Abuja. Oil money, security control, approvals. You must know someone in Abuja to live. This is unitary feudalism with a federal name, not federalism.

This is the story of most of Africa. Nations that run this centralized, winner-takes-all Presidential system have retrogressed. Cameroon has had the same President for 40 years and a civil war in its Anglophone region. Uganda has a permanent President who is accountable to no one. Zimbabwe's imperial Presidency destroyed one of Africa's most industrialized economies. The pattern is the same, rich government houses and palaces, poor citizens.

Progressive and productive countries chose differently. Switzerland and Canada run asymmetrical and loose federalism. Quebec has its own laws and immigration, 26 Swiss cantons control police, health and taxes. The UAE is a confederation where Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah run different economic models.

Germany, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and South Africa run parliamentary democracy where the Prime Minister answers to Parliament weekly and can be removed by his own party. No emperor. France runs a mixed parliamentary system where the Prime Minister runs the domestic economy. These systems work because no single man can hold the country hostage.

Our own structure is why we are poor and unsafe. You cannot industrialize when a Governor cannot guarantee power, police or tax incentives. So we import everything. You cannot secure a country of 230 million with 371,000 policemen controlled by one Inspector General in Abuja. The Governor in Zamfara and the LGA Chairman in Daura know the bandits and their hideouts, but they rely on the IGP in Abuja who is controlled by the President to rid their society of bandits. You cannot create jobs when states are salary-collecting agencies waiting for FAAC. True federalism forces competition and production.

For 60 years, political actors have made Nigerians believe this system can be improved with new slogans and repeated promises. It cannot.

That is why, as contained in our policy papers on Parliamentary Democracy and State Police, federal police for federal crimes, state police for state crimes and community policing for communities.

The Citizens Democratic Alliance is determined to end this. We will not attempt to improve an unworkable system. We will reform it entirely. Due to our multiethnic nature, we will restructure Nigeria into asymmetrical federalism as is done in multiethnic countries like Canada and Spain, where federating units with distinct histories and identities exercise different powers to keep the union productive. We will adopt a parliamentary system that reduces cost of governance, ensures daily accountability, decentralizes policing, returns economic power and resource control to federating units, and ensures no single individual or group can hold Nigeria hostage. That way Nigeria will be productive and progressive like Canada, Japan, Austria, Germany etc. Our best brains will have no need to emigrate to these countries and Nigeria will work.

Let's Work To Make Nigeria Work.

Tamunotonye Samuel Solomon Inioribo
Founder and National Chairman
Citizens Democratic Alliance

My Chief, I am 29 years old and I keep wondering how come Nigeria and Africa have been misgoverned for years. It is bad that Nigeria in the 1950s is better than Nigeria in 2026. Everything is arranged for the country to fail while the big men succeed.

Is it that the black man is not created to govern himself and his community? How come Nigeria has remained backward

Why can't we through a referendum determine the best way for Nigeria

We had a system that worked when we got independence in 1960. The regions were developing at their own pace until our blodas got greedy

Nwaokunkpara:
Why can't we through a referendum determine the best way for Nigeria

The country called Nigeria can't work. Let every region take care of themselves

Nigeria needs to go back to Fedralism. Not regional but states should contribute to the center. Insecurity will die naturally.

Nigeria can never ever work.

I personally don't even want it to work

France, Britain and USA had Nigeria and Africa serving their interests. They're all milking Nigeria and Africa dry.


Nigeria is doomed to never work.

Tonye Barcanista still dey do political jobber work?

Wizardslayer:
France, Britain and USA had Nigeria and Africa serving their interests. They're all milking Nigeria and Africa dry.
Nigeria is doomed to never work.

This is why Nigeria will never work and the sooner we break the better.

Great write up, hoping this wouldn't stand as the usual, regular write up only but implemented and follow up to the last to be able to reflect on Nigerian lives. The truth is that Nothing is working in this country called Nigeria.

TonyeBarcanista:
Feudal Federalism: The 60-Year Lie That Has Held Nigeria Hostage

Sadly our governor's wouldn't agree because they can't generate any idea from their dull brains not even talking about president that thinks about loans and grabbing power

I was just discussing with AI the best way to legally challenge and get rid of the 1999 constitution , or rather Imposition. Laws of the land cannot be tenets no one ever discussed or agreed to. We need to start challenging the legality of all decrees and impositions by the military. Revert back at least to the last legal constitution. Even if that means reverting to regions and suspending all these unsustainable states.

P

TonyeBarcanista:
Feudal Federalism: The 60-Year Lie That Has Held Nigeria Hostage

The problem did not stsrt in 1965 but in 1945 and 1960
1945 with amalgamation of Nigeria and 1960 hanging over Nigeria to the northern fulanis

Nwaokunkpara:
Why can't we, through a referendum, determine the best way for Nigeria?

.

Ethnic linguistic groups become politicized when consensus is needed for reform, which hampers progress.

It seems that each region in Nigeria is more focused on seeing other regions fail rather than striving for its own prosperity. This creates a challenging environment, especially in a system where healthy competition should thrive.

Like your first paragraph said, "if we just find better people,the system will work" NOTE= they did not say good people.

Nigeria presently is not working because the citizens calls out the better people, criticise them and tribalism them. This give those destroying the system( people like yeniki) upper edge over and over again.

Those elites now have seen that the average Nigerian is stewpd, so why work when I can continue eating without doing any, I can even squeeze out the living day light from them to my own satisfaction, after all all it will take is just 15kg bags of rice (no tomatos or oil).

First of all they killed education, because they want to keep as many of you uneducated and naive (which works).

Secondly they send and paid territories to destroy farmlands so they will be hunger.

Thirdly, they devalued your currency to the extent that 30% of Nigerian currency is absolutely worthless.

At the end the sheep's will happily support and bow down to the fox because his either from their state or tribe .


Politics Na eat and make your citizens eat, but it Nigeria it's all about the politicians and their families thriving, while the poor man jubilates for them.

Iyobaba:
We had a system that worked when we got independence in 1960. The regions were developing at their own pace until our blodas got greedy

The main point you hammer is GREEDINESS. That is simply the summary and up till today the greed no get break

TonyeBarcanista:
Feudal Federalism: The 60-Year Lie That Has Held Nigeria Hostage

Good morning Barcanister.
You must have gone to a better school recently.
Before now, you were one of those Nairalanders from the Southsouth who believed that a good leader would one day emerge from the present skewed and lopsided political structure and governance system of Nigeria.
The federal structure changed by northern military dictators who sewed 20 new federating units in one northern region but allowed only 17 new federating units in two southern regions to funnel oil proceeds to the northern region, as well as give the Fulani-led northern region absolute political powers, is a huge fraud.


Worse, no Messiah of a leader can ever emerge from the present political structure. Only ARRANGEE leaders will emerge from the political structure.

My brother I like your passion and share your sentiments but the truth is Nigeria cannot work.

Just go and rest, try and huzzle and make your life better don't stress yourself.

Watch how helinues will insult you or avoid this thread.

TonyeBarcanista:
Feudal Federalism: The 60-Year Lie That Has Held Nigeria Hostage

Sorry, but if there had been no coup, Nigeria would have still been underdeveloped today.

The basis of our development has always been selling raw materials for processing abroad, and using the money for sharing, not improving our productive capacity.

That is why we are underdeveloped.

The thing is, we refuse to use our natural resources to develop industrial products for the world to use. We also have some batshit ideas like 'we don't need to pay taxes' and 'we should toolerate corruptuion so long na our guy' and 'clerical job is best job'


And if we like and divide the country, it's the same mindset.

All African countries are like that. The ones that had coup, the ones that did not have coup, the ones that did not change their constitution. The ones that are even somewhat better are productive.

Until you guys are ready to be productive, forget development, together or apart.

Buhari4dullard:
This is why Nigeria will never work and the sooner we break the better.

Breaking up isn't the main problem here.

If after breaking up and your country refuses to handover your natural resources to the superpowers, your country will just be like south Sudan, Libya and ridden with war, war and rebellion everywhere, funded by the superpowers.

They'll create rebellion in your country while still milking your natural resources just like what's happening in Venezuela.

ednut1:
Tonye Barcanista still dey do political jobber work?

Is this jargon what your peanut size brain can decode?

Tonye raised valid points on how retrogressive we have been over the years as a nation with the system of government we are running. It's so disheartening that the youths that should be at the fore of the movement for top to bottom change are busy chasing shadows.

It's well.

Tinubu and his gang used to chant restructing and true federalism before he got to power. He reach power,he no concern him again because he has never been bothered about it in the first place it is just a means to an end.

It took the brutal kidnap of ogbomosho children and their teachers before he started talking about state policing after 3 years he got into.office.

As crazy as Trump is,the moment he got into.office he went to work. Trying to sholve the policies of the GOP down the throat of Americans. This one here doesnt even have anything he belives in except politicking

When we say he is a fake awoist and shares nothing with the late sage,his deranged supporters go dey cry.

Except we do true federalism,Nigeria wont go anywhere. Let power go to the states,while we have stronger states and a weak centre.

QED!

Wizardslayer:
Breaking up isn't the main problem here.

If after breaking up and your country refuses to handover your natural resources to the superpowers, your country will just be like south Sudan, Libya and ridden with war, war and rebellion everywhere, funded by the superpowers.

They'll create rebellion in your country while still milking your natural resources just like what's happening in Venezuela.

South Sudan and Libya were selling oyel and are selling oyel to the superpoowers. Our problem is not handing over whatever to the superpowers.Even all those countries that do anti-imperalism, dem go still allow foreign companies to operate in their country, because they do not have the technical knowhow by themselves to operate stuff. That is why we have JV's in Nigeria. EveN sOUTH SUDAN, has a lot of foreign companies. Their problem is fighting over how dem go share oyel money, not any western power nansense. Kir is in the West's pockets, as is his opponents self.

Our problem is not looking at our raw materials and seeing how we can use them to build stuff that the world can use.

Congo DR has the world's largest amount of raw materials for your android phone. Most of the mining for these things are done by warlords and small time miners. Much of the money goes to them, not to any western powers. And see the result...a poor, violent ridden nation.

Whereas if DR congo was making andorid phones, lol...dem go make mega money. Low productiion costs, and so forth...what is not to like?

It is time we used what we have to make stuff the world needs. But most of you don't want that.

TonyeBarcanista:
Feudal Federalism: The 60-Year Lie That Has Held Nigeria Hostage

Hmmm! Good insight. Like you wrote, each state in America controls their own resources, the federal government only controls the military power and immigration and things are working. That's why some Nigerians has been clamoring for regional government.

ednut1:
Tonye Barcanista still dey do political jobber work?

You registered in 2008, shows that you are a man in 40s to 50s. You are not a kid, act your age. It is sad that people like you who is supposed to use your middle age to champion systemic change for younger people like us to follow is the one trolling and acting like a kid.

Obi keeps trying hard to sell himself as a better person. We need visionaries like Tinubu that can build institutions that outlast them. We saw him do it in Lagos with things like LASTMA and the state IGR model. We've seen him start re-engineering our tax system, electoral process, electricity, oil and gas and do on. This is why we will continue talking out and making sure, blind lambarism people don't get near Aso Rock.

This guy is really good, this piece you wrote is refreshing and highly thoughtful.

In as much, I agreed with what Op said, I still much believed, if we start practicing real federalism as is being practiced in every clime where it has worked, it won't still work in Nigeria.
The govs would still capture the regional or state's resources and subjected the people they are governed to slavery.

Black people didn't have what it takes to manage their own people to prosperity.

Isn't same govs that are changing the allocation they got from Abuja and converting it to dollars before sending it abroad?

The same yaya Bello that sacked thousands of workers, and used the money to pay upfront of his children school fees in dollars.

If he was given entire resources of Kogi, he would have lavished it in same manner.

Eniolohunda:
Hmmm! Good insight. Like you wrote, each state in America controls their own resources, the federal government only controls the military power and immigration and things are working. That's why some Nigerians has been clamoring for regional government.

American states do not rely on resources, they rely on attracting industires to their states(One republican governor who some people think should have run for president, he just was not interested, was considered successful because he attracted several industries to his state in 3 years!). Either that or corporations. Not on resources, otherwise they would have been as broke as Nigeria.

It's probably only Alaska that relies on its 'resource' of oyel for obvious reasons.

If USA was relying on resources, they would be as broke as we are self. Since.