THE NORTH AND THE REST OF US: A HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF THE PARADOX OF ONE NIGERIA, 2007- 2020

Abstract

Nigeria, a country with a population of about two hundred (200) million people and about two hundred and fifty (250) ethnic groups with the Igbo, Hausa and the Yoruba as majority, is currently under the domination of the North. Under the 1960 constitution and subsequent constitutions, Nigeria was to practice a Federal System of Government, which implies that all governmental powers are to be shared between the central government and the component units. Thus, one Nigeria was born under a federal system. But from 1960 when Nigeria gained her independence till date, it is evident that one section of the country (North) is heavily dominating the rest. Thus, this paper seeks to answer the questions bordering on the following; is Nigeria really one? Is Nigeria actually practicing federalism? Is the north actually dominating the rest of the country? What are the evidences to show the dominance of the north against the rest of the country? What is to be done to ensure that equity is achieved in Nigeria? Methodologically, the paper adopts the historical investigative method. Data for this paper were from both primary and secondary sources. The paper found that Nigeria is one in theory but in practice is heavily divided, with most of the section marginalized. It, therefore, suggests true federalism as a panacea to the problem of Northern domination against the rest of Nigeria.