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ABSTRACT
Prevailing analyses highlight Nigeria’s transformation by ‘soldiers and oil’ from a decentralized to a hyper-centralized federation. Nuancing rather than repudiating such analyses, this systematic measurement of de/centralization in Nigeria over the 1954–2020 period demonstrates that centralization was partly rooted in the federation’s unitary colonial foundations and, thus, predated the advent of military autocracy. Furthermore, the country’s underlying cultural diversity and civilian political institutions exerted complex effects on intergovernmental dynamics, producing shifts in policies and institutional spheres as well as key moments that defied the federation’s increased centralization over time. Overall, the Nigerian federation’s devolutionary origins, civil/military cycles, economic vulnerabilities, and multi-ethnicity influenced its experiences with dynamic de/centralization.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to two anonymous reviewers and to Paolo Dardanelli and John Kincaid for their constructive feedback. I am also indebted to the following for generously sharing with me their perspectives on Nigerian federalism: Muyiwa Adigun, Adigun Agbaje, George Anderson, Solomon Benjamin, Adefemi Isumonah, Eyene Okpanachi, Abubakar Oladeji, Tunji Olaopa, Femi Omotoso, and Philip Ostien. Eunice Otitololuwa Suberu graciously helped with preparing the codebook. Bennington College supported my participation in the De/Centralization Project with a Faculty Research Grant. For funding the project, thanks are also due to the Leverhulme Trust (grant number IN-2013-044), FAPESP-Sao Paulo Research Foundation, James Madison Charitable Trust, and Forum of Federations. The usual disclaimers apply.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).