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The Crisis of Multi-Ethnic Federations: A Case of Nigeria

Acheoah Ofeh Augustine

This paper compliments extant literature on crisis of multi-ethnic societies that have adopted federal system with special focus on Nigeria. This paper adopts the qualitative method and theoretically hinges on two dominant theories of federalism: the Legalistic postulations of K.C. Wheare and the Sociological perspective of federalism by W.H. Livingston. Federalism has been differently adopted and institutionalized with mixed outcomes across the globe. Nigerian had a viable federal structure prior to military incursion in January 15 1966, however, with that forceful change of regime, the federal structure that were emerging was inverted and ever since post-colonial Nigeria searches elusively for the answer to many national questions threatening its corporate existence, 52 years after the search continues. As a way forward Nigerian people must be made to see reasons to live together, the people of Nigeria should be given the platform to renegotiate their existence and recreate a new united federal nation from the multi-national entities that make up the Nigerian state. This is Paramount to make the citizens see the state as their own institution brought into being through a social contract.