POLITICAL RESTRUCTURING AND DEVOLUTION OF POWERS AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
POLITICAL RESTRUCTURING AND DEVOLUTION OF POWERS AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CHAPITRE ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of The Study
The term “restructuring” has gained broad usage, with sonorous reverberations, notably in Nigeria’s public sphere in the last 18 months since the Buhari Administration took office. It should be noted that this is not the first time that words with prefixes like “Re” have found their way into national consciousness and reckoning.
Indeed, following the country’s bitterly fought civil war between 1967 and 1970, the Yakubu Gowon Administration coined the three “Re’s,” namely, “Reconciliation,” “Reconstruction,”
and “Re-habilitation,” to depict the regime’s determination to devise programmes that would, at the very least, be used to smooth the rough edges of the traumatic years of the civil war on the war-torn erstwhile Eastern Region.
It should be noted that the three “Re’s” were not even evocative at the time, in comparison to the current “restructuring” movement, for which some of its protagonists are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
If what should have been the more evocative “Re’s” did not bring out the worst in us (considering that emotions were still high during and, especially, shortly after the war given that lives were lost on both sides and properties were similarly destroyed),
then the tenor of the call for restructuring, even if not conceptually so clear at this point in time, should make government resolve to embark on re-conciliation, re-construction, and re-habilitate.
However, the general consensus at the time was that the conflict was a miscalculation on the part of the rebels who took up weapons against their fatherland; they were mistaken and hence should be forgiven. So much water has flowed under the bridge between then and now in terms of the nation-building process.
This is to the point where some openly advocate for the country’s fragmentation since its peoples cannot remain united. In recent years, true federation and resource control have been buzzwords in Nigeria.
The discussions, debates, and controversies revolve around who gets “what”, “when”, “how”, and “why” of national resources among the tiers of government, i.e. the vertical and horizontal allocation.
Federalism is one of the most urgent issues confronting many countries today. The nature and conditions of financial interactions in any federal system of government are critical to the system’s sustainability.
Thus, one of the continuous areas of intergovernmental fighting in most federal states is the issue of ensuring appropriate financial resources for the lower tiers of government to execute their vital political and constitutional tasks.
Although the appeal for resource control and true federalism had been scattered in Nigeria’s new democratic experience since May 1999, it took on a more co-ordinated dimension when the southern Governors convened. In a 17-point communique, the governors resolved among other things:”
That Resource control and derivation should henceforth &be accepted as the basis for revenue generation and allocation; and that Nigerian’s federal status as presently constituted be restructured along a legal framework that would grant reasonable measure of autonomy to the states and component parts of the federation”.
The host governor, Dr. ChimarokeNnamani, outlined the entire situation.”the raging agitation in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country were compelling indications that resource control and restructuring had become critical in order to resolve the turning issues of Nigeria’s continued nationhood.”
The military intervention in politics, notably by Cowon in 1969, sowed the germ of discontent between the states and the Federal Government, which was nurtured by the MurtalaIObasanjo administration between 1975 and 1979. Gowon had given the Federal Government ownership of all mines in 1969.
He signed decree No. 9 of 1971, which stipulated that “the rights of the regions (states) in the minerals in their continental shelves were abrogated and ownership and title to the territorial waters,
continental shelf as well as royalties, rents and other revenues derived from or .relating to the exploration, prospecting or searching for or winning or working of petroleum from seaward appurtenances of the states become vested in the Federal Government” .
Subsequent governments, including that of AlhajiShehuShagari, maintained the Federal Government’s policy of total control over minerals. Those constitutional provisions, as expected, put some states in the South-South in constant conflict with the federal government.
Late Governors Ambrose Ali of the former Bendel State and Clement lsong of Cross River State challenged the Federal Government’s authority in the courts over the vexing issue of resource control.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
To all intents and purposes, resource control is still a key source of contention between the centre and the federating units. It highlights critical issues of ownership, control, management, equity, justice, fairness, natural rights, and even growth, as well as intergovernmental relations procedures.
Land is a valuable commodity in Africa, both economically and spiritually. A people’s sense of identity is determined by their attachment to land, which serves as the basic foundation for the construction of their history. The ownership, control, and distribution of resources in land and space are all important considerations.
The Latin proverb “quid quidplantato solo so credit,” which means “he who owns land owns what is on, under, and above it,” speaks volumes about the importance of land in Nigeria.In light of this, the researcher seeks to explore the impact of political restructuring and devolution of powers on Nigerian national growth.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of the study is to evaluate the influence of political restructuring and devolution of powers on national development in Nigeria. To help complete the study, the researcher plans to accomplish the following particular goals:
i) To investigate the influence of political restructuring on Nigeria’s national development.
ii) Determine the impact of devolution of powers on national unity
iii) To determine whether there is a link between political restructuring and national development in Nigeria.
iv) To investigate the impact of devolution of powers on Nigeria’s economic development.
1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following research hypotheses were developed by the researcher to aid in the completion of the study.
H0:political restructuring has little effect on Nigeria’s national growth.
H1:political restructuring has an impact on Nigeria’s national growth.
H02:There is no discernible link between political reorganisation and national progress.
H2: There is a strong link between political restructuring and national development.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
When the study is completed, it is expected that the findings will be of great importance to the federal government of Nigeria, as the study seeks to enumerate the benefits of political restructuring to the national unity of the country, because when the federal character is properly adhered to, it brings a sense of oneness and national unity.
The study’s findings will also help the country’s long-standing problem of national disunity. The study will also be useful to researchers who plan to do research on a similar topic because it will act as a reference point for the study.
Finally, the findings of the study will be of considerable interest to academics, researchers, lecturers, teachers, students, and the general public, as they will add to the body of knowledge.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study includes political reorganisation, devolution of powers, and national development. However, some considerations limited the scope of the study:
(a)Research material availability: The researcher’s research material is insufficient, restricting the investigation.
(b)Time: The study’s time frame does not allow for broader coverage because the researcher must balance other academic activities and examinations with the study.
(c)Finance: The funding available for the research endeavour does not allow for broader coverage because resources are constrained due to the researcher’s other academic bills.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Politics
Politics is the process of making decisions that affect individuals in a group. More specifically, it relates to obtaining and executing positions of governanceorganized control over a human community, most notably a state.
Restructuring
Restructuring is a corporate management word for the act of reorganising a company’s legal, ownership, operational, or other structures in order to make it more lucrative or better organised for its current needs.
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of functions from a sovereign state’s central government to govern at a subnational level, such as regional or local.
1.8 ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY
This research paper is divided into five chapters for easy comprehension. The first chapter is concerned with the introduction, which includes the (overview of the study), issue statement, objectives of the investigation, research question, importance of the study, research methodology, definition of words, and historical backdrop of the study.
The second chapter highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, as well as a survey of related literature. The third chapter discusses the study’s research strategy and methodology.
The fourth chapter focuses on data gathering, analysis, and presenting of findings. The study’s summary, conclusion, and suggestions are presented in Chapter 5.
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic