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This book uses the political economy approach to examine the relative failure of federalism in Nigeria. It shows the nexus between the political and the economic aspects of the country's federalism. The central feature of Nigeria's political economy is the relationship between oil resources and the state. The author argues that the inability of the federal government to distribute the oil wealth fairly amongst the component units contributes to the dysfunctional character of the federal system. This deficiency is rooted in the country's unbalanced political economy, which promotes over-dependency on oil and consequently an over-centralised federal system. The book concludes that despite its complexities, federalism has become the basis for the country's stability. Therefore, ethno-regional demands for 'true federalism' will continue until the political elite reform the ailing federal system.
List of contents
1 Introduction: Conceptual Approaches to Nigerian Federalism.- 2 Nigeria, a Federal State and Federal Society: the Origins.- 3 Oil-Centrism and Nigeria's Political Economy.- 4 Revenue Allocation in Nigeria.- 5 Secession and Self-determination in Nigeria.- 6 Nigeria: A Federation in Search of 'True Federalism'.- 7 Conclusion: Addressing Nigeria's Ailing Federal System.
About the author
Dele Babalola is Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy at Baze University, Nigeria. He formerly taught at the School of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent, UK. He edited Nigeria, a Country under Siege: Issues of Conflict and its Management (with H. Onapajo, 2018).
Summary
This book uses the political economy approach to examine the relative failure of federalism in Nigeria. It shows the nexus between the political and the economic aspects of the country’s federalism. The central feature of Nigeria’s political economy is the relationship between oil resources and the state. The author argues that the inability of the federal government to distribute the oil wealth fairly amongst the component units contributes to the dysfunctional character of the federal system. This deficiency is rooted in the country’s unbalanced political economy, which promotes over-dependency on oil and consequently an over-centralised federal system. The book concludes that despite its complexities, federalism has become the basis for the country’s stability. Therefore, ethno-regional demands for ‘true federalism’ will continue until the political elite reform the ailing federal system.
Additional text
“The book by Dele Babalola, The Political Economy of Federalism in Nigeria… aims to demonstrate the significance of the political economy, fiscal federalism and revenue sharing, in the Nigerian Federation.” (Adriano Dirri, Nomos, Issue 1, 2019)
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"The book by Dele Babalola, The Political Economy of Federalism in Nigeria ... aims to demonstrate the significance of the political economy, fiscal federalism and revenue sharing, in the Nigerian Federation." (Adriano Dirri, Nomos, Issue 1, 2019)
