GOVERNMENT SSS THREE

LESSON PLAN FOR WEEK ONE

DATE

CLASS: SSIII

SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT

DURATION

PERIOD

REF BOOK: MACMILLAN SENIOR SECONDARY GOVERNMENT

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: COMPUTER, NOTEBOOK WHITE BOARD AND MARKER

TOPIC: EVOLUTION OF NIGERIA FEDERALISM

AIM: TO TEACH THE STUDENTS:

EVOLUTION OF FEDERALISM IN NIGERIA

NIGERIAN FEDERALISM

 BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVE:  STUDENTs SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

i.                     Explain what revolution is

ii.                  Explain what federalism means  

ACTIVITIES:

STEP 1:  TEACHER LEADS THE STUDENTS TO DEFINE FEDERALISM  

STEPII: STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN CLASS DISCUSSION

CONTENTS

EVOLUTION OF FEDERALISM IN NIGERIA

            Federalism in Nigeria can be traced back to the national conference held in Ibadan in 1950. The participant which were drawn from all over the country resolved that Nigeria should be ruled as a federation it was therefore considered by political scientist that the participant which attended the Ibadan conference should rightly be referred to as the founding fathers of Nigeria federation.  However, it was during the late Lyttleton administration under the lyttleton constitution of 1954 that Nigeria became a federation. The constitution made provision for the division of past between the central legislature and regional legislatures.

            Thus, the power sharing character of the 1954 constitution make Nigeria a federation. 

WHAT IS A FEDERATION

            A federation originally meant a group of neighboring countries who agree to unite together as one country and set up a single government to rule the whole.  The countries which are so federally united retain their original varying government but only hand over to new federal government certain powers.  By so doing, they maintain their individual seperateness.

Factors Which Necessitated the Adoption of Federalism in Nigeria

1.      Multiple Cultural Setting:  Nigeria is made up of over 250 ethnic groups, each of them  having its own language and other unique traditions.  The ethnic or cultural groups are made up of major and minor ones.  It usually hoped that the various tribes can be better accommodated under a federal system of government, particularly the fundamental rights of the minority groups

2.     Rapid Development:  The desire for rapid development, particularly economic and political development was one of the reasons for the adoption of a federal system in Nigeria.  

3.     Size and Population of Nigeria:  Nigeria has a total land area of 924,000 square kilometers with a population of about 140 million people.  The large size of the country coupled with the population size makes it necessary that power is not concentrated at the centre but distributed among the centre and the component units under a federal structure.

4.     Colonial Policy:  The British Colonial Policy which created the three initial regions of Nigeria, namely; North East and West laid the foundation on which a federal structural was based. These three regions were inherited at independence just as they formed the federating units at the inception of Nigeria’s federation.

5.     Human and Material Resource:  Nigeria is endowed with vast human and material resources which can support a federal system of government.  These human and material resources are spread in all the units of the Nigeria Federation.  The human resources include all the intellectuals including professionals in various sectors of development in Nigeria.  The natural resources include oil, cocoa, groundnut, palm produce etc.

6.     Proximity of federal components:  The contiguity (nearness) of federal government components or units to the people makes federal system of government acceptable or units to the people in multi-ethnic nation states.  This means that nearness of government to the people at the grassroots is an important objective of federalism.

7.     Political Participation:  The adoption of federal system of government in Nigeria was also to enhance or allow citizen participation in the governance of the country.  This means that when compard with unitary, federal system of government enables more people to get involved in policy making and policy articulation process of the country

8.     Policy of Federal Character:  Federalism was adopted in Nigeria in order to ensure that opportunities for employment and federal appointments are distributed to the various geopolitical zones in the country.

9.     National Power: it was the desire of the advocates of federalism that the unity of all units of the country into a federation would make the country stronger 

10.                        Employment creation:  The duplication of ministries and parastatals at both the central and component units creates more employment than is possible

11.                        Power Sharing:  This factor involves the sharing of power to legislate between the central (federal) government and the component (state) units.

Evaluation:  The teacher evaluate the topic by asking the students question

1.      What are the features of federalism in Nigeria

Summary:  The teacher summaries what she taught briefly

PERIOD TWO

Sub topic: Federal Character  

Entry Behaviour:  Average student should be to list the features of federalism in Nigeria

Step 1 Introduction

The teacher introduces the topic to the students

Step II:  The teacher goes further by leading the student to explain the topic.

Content

FEDERAL CHARACTER

            Federal character involves the distribution of amenities, resources and appointments based on quota system to be applied in the three tiers of government in the country, such as political appointment, admission into tertiary institutions, location of unity secondary schools, boards and the location of iron and steel mills

Factors Responsible for the Introduction of Federal Character in Nigeria

1.     Unhealthy struggle for a lion share of the national wealth

2.     Appointment to promote unity, ensure stability and sence of belonging

3.     Fear of minority domination by the major ethnic group

4.     Inability of political leaders to translate unity in diversity into reality

5.     Discrimination on the bases of educated religion and ethnic affinity

6.     Uneven development; There is disparity in political, education and economic development in Nigeria.

Features of Federalism in Nigeria

1.      Distribution of governmental powers among the federal state and local government

2.     The different levels of government in Nigeria derive their powers from the constitution

3.     Duplication of organs of government and all levels of government in Nigeria

4.     A written and rigid constitution

5.     The supremacy of the constitution

6.     The right of secession is outlawed

7.     Existence of single tier of police force and other armed forces

8.     The prevalence of the federal government law in cases of conflict between the states and the federal government

9.     Existence of bicameral legislature at the centre from 1979 to date, and unicameral legislature for the component units (states)

Problems Confronting Federalism in Nigeria

1.      Revenue Allocation: The federating states always quarrel over revenue allocation with the federal government especially on the derivation principle

2.     Minority issues:  Fear of domination by minority groups

3.     Inter-ethnic Rivalry :  Due to friction over the control of the central government diverse ethnic group’s unhealthy rivalry develops

4.     The issue of Secession:  threats of secession is one of the problems confronting the Nigeria federation, this issue result in the Nigeria-Bia fra civil war hostilities of between 1967-1970

5.     State/local Government Creation: Rearing agitations for the creation of new states and new local government creation instabilities and political hatred in Nigeria

6.     Leadership:  The problem of selecting acceptable national leaders has always resulted in politics of bitterness.

7.     Boundary Adjustment:  This has created a number  of clashes between states of the country over the years.  There is hardly any state in Nigerian federation that has not engaged in one way or the other in boundary adjustment.

8.     Religious Diversity: This has been a problem for Nigeria’s federation.  This diversity affects national unity and national focus

Evaluation:  The teacher evaluate the topic by asking the student questions

1.      In your own way, explain “Federal Character”

Summary:  The teacher summaries what she taught briefly

Assignment

Write short note on the conferences organized by the British Colonia Powers.