Federal Character is Nigeria’s Mojo
The most populous African nation is like no other nation on earth, in its uniqueness, diversity, and history. It is a conglomeration of 371 tribes (see the full list here) that speak over 500 different languages. I know that this sounds like a lot, but please know that on the WorldAtlas list of the most diverse countries of the world, Nigeria is not even among the first 10. It’s the 18th! So there are way more diverse countries than Nigeria.
However, of the 371 tribes in Nigeria, three (3) make up the majority: the Hausas (mostly found in the northern region of Nigeria), the Igbos (mostly found in the south eastern and south-southern parts of Nigeria), and the Yorubas (found in the southwestern part of Nigeria).
The Hausas have long become kin with a minority tribe called the Fulani—a tribe also found in most other countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, that migrated into Hausa territory in Nigeria many years ago and have since settled there. In fact, the tribe that is ordinarily known as “Hausa” is often called Hausa/Fulani now, because of the depth of integration that has occurred between the two tribes who have inter-married a lot over the years.
Well, this article is not really about explaining Nigeria’s demography, so I’ll just cut right to the chase.
Wherever different families are coexisting, there will always be different interests. And, in politics and governance, with differing interests often come suspicions and trust deficit, especially since misunderstanding, sentiments and ignorance will be rife as the people try to relate with each other. This fact, coupled with Nigeria’s not-so-good history of fatal tribal uprisings, killings, and a hard-fought civil war, continually puts the country (which is so rich in mineral resources) at risk of tribal hatred, unhealthy competition, and a potential for another civil war.
So, in an attempt to provide a guardrail against sliding into any of those, a certain clause was added to the country’s latest constitution, the 1999 Constitution, in chapter 2, subsection 14(3), which says:
“The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
For proper context, chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution is titled “Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy”. So, this means that “Federal Character” is an actual state policy in Nigeria: it is how every government that is voted into power is mandated by law to conduct government business.
Being state policy, federal character can therefore be seen as a core principle of the Nigerian spirit.
In fact, the constitution went further by domesticating the policy in all states of the Federation, according to chapter 2, subsection 14(4):
"The composition of the Government of a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the Government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the Federation."
But what is federal character?
The 1999 Constitution does not really define it. But the word “character” is defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as “a feature used to separate distinguishable things into categories”, or “a person marked by notable or conspicuous traits”. So, a character is a person, and we can say that Federal Character refers to the persons that make up the Federation.
So, essentially, the 1999 Constitution mandates every government that is formed under it to carry out its activities in such a manner that considers or makes manifest the persons that make up the Federation. Specifically, it has to ensure “that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies”.
In other words, by law, no ethnic or other sectional group can predominantly populate any federal government that is constituted in Nigeria. And, according to the same clause of the constitution, this policy is meant to promote national unity and command national loyalty. It follows then that the reasoning behind this language in the constitution is that there is the understanding that people will unite with and be loyal to something that they are demonstrably part of. And I think that makes sense. What say you?
It doesn’t end there. The same clause of the constitution requires every government and its agencies to conduct their affairs in such a manner that considers or makes manifest the persons that make up the Federation. This means that, by law, in matters of recruitment, contract awards, disbursements, and other government and government agency affairs, no ethnic or other sectional group can predominantly benefit, for the same reasons stated in the constitution: to promote national unity and command national loyalty.
Sounds like a harmless and egalitarian policy, right? I would agree, but some other Nigerians disagree for some reasons.
But, for me, Federal Character ensures that considerations are made to accommodate every Nigerian in the composition and affairs of the Nigerian government. And, since the democratic system of government that Nigeria espouses is fundamentally defined as a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, then one would think that a policy like Federal Character is a correct policy choice since it aims to demonstrably carry along all sections of THE PEOPLE in the composition and affairs of government.
Every democratic nation in the world has it’s democracy built on foundational unifying ideals. In the United States, the unifying ideals that define their democracy are freedom and prosperity. In the United Kingdom, it is order and good governance. For me, federal character is the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy, and there is no further confirmation of this than the very statement of the country’s motto: unity and faith, peace and progress. The country’s founding fathers aimed for the country’s citizens to be united in order to pursue their belief in the nation’s strong future, and also to have peace among themselves as the platform for progress. And this meant that everyone’s hands needs to be seen to be on deck.
If Nigeria’s diversity is her strength, then her ability to harness that diversity is her mojo.
Comments
Post a Comment