Ethnic inequality, the federal character principle, and the reform of Nigeria's presidential federalism

Arbeitspapier

The federal character principle is Nigeria's primary formula for mitigating horizontal inequality and conflict in this chronically fractured society. Designed to guarantee inter-group inclusion in the conduct and composition of governmental institutions, the principle spans direct, integrative, and indirect policies for reducing horizontal inequalities, which overlap with consociational, centripetal, and power-dividing paradigms of ethnic conflict management. Celebrated by its champions as an ingenious approach to the management of ethnic diversity and disparity, the federal character principle has been denounced by its opponents for politicizing and valorizing sectional divisions, fostering dysfunctional and corrupt governance, and failing to effectively address structural ethnic imbalances and historical inter-group grievances. This paper offers a new narrative that transcends narrowly framed critiques of the problematic conceptualization, flawed implementation, and meagre impact of the federal character principle by underscoring the innovative design of the principle of federal character as a mechanism of ethnic consociation and integration, while highlighting the indirect variables-including profound institutional deficits in governmental accountability-that have undermined the principle's implementation and efficacy in practice.

Angaben zum Objekt

• ISBN: 978-92-9267-247-8
• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: WIDER Working Paper ; No. 2022/113

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement ; Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government ; Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism; Secession ; Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: Africa; Oceania
• Thema: federal character principle ; horizontal inequality ; North-South conflicts ; ethnic diversity ; integration ; consociation ; power-dividing

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Suberu, Rotimi T.
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
• (wo): Helsinki
• (wann): 2022

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2022/247-8
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/273908
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:41 MEZ