By Oluwaseyi Oduyela
One of the biggest misunderstandings in Nigeria’s political conversation is that federalism is treated as an abstract idea. It is not. Federalism is practical. It answers a simple question:
Who should control the things that affect people’s daily lives?
Right now, Nigeria’s answer is clear but problematic. The federal government controls too much, including areas that should naturally belong to states and local governments. What we call federalism on paper operates more like centralization in practice.
To understand what should change, it helps to look at how functioning federations distribute power.
In countries like the United States, governance is layered. The federal government handles national issues such as defense, foreign policy, and currency. States and local governments handle everyday matters that directly affect citizens.
Take infrastructure as a clear example. George Bush Intercontinental Airport is managed by the City of Houston. That means the economic benefits, jobs, and development tied to that airport are largely retained within the local and state economy.
Now imagine a similar structure in Nigeria.
Imagine Murtala Muhammed International Airport being managed within Ikeja under Lagos State. The state would not just host the airport, it would control it, develop it, and benefit directly from it. Jobs would expand locally. Revenue would stay closer to the people. Planning would reflect local economic priorities.
Instead, Nigeria operates a centralized model where the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria controls major airports across the country. The same pattern exists in other sectors. Federal institutions like the Nigerian Television Authority and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria dominate broadcasting. Even corrections remain heavily centralized.
This is not how a true federation should function.
True federalism requires a deliberate transfer of responsibilities.
States should control:
- driver’s licensing and vehicle registration
- intra-state transportation systems
- prisons for state offenses
- public broadcasting within their territories
- infrastructure such as airports and industrial hubs
Local governments should manage:
- community-level facilities, including local jails for minor offenses
- grassroots services tied directly to daily living
The federal government should focus on:
- national defense and security
- foreign policy
- monetary policy
- setting and enforcing national standards
The principle is straightforward:
Power should sit where responsibility is felt.
When states control these sectors, they cannot afford to be idle. They must generate revenue, create jobs, and compete. When everything is centralized, states become dependent, waiting for allocations rather than building economies.
Nigeria does not lack the language of federalism. What it lacks is the practice of it.
The path forward is not theoretical. It is practical and measurable. It begins by deciding, sector by sector, what the federal government should let go, and what states must take responsibility for.
In the next episode, we examine why Nigerian states behave like dependents and how the current revenue structure encourages that dependence.
Africanreporter 
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