Politics of Northern Nigeria

[1][2]

The government of Northern Nigeria was modelled after the Westminster system. A premier acts as head of government and presides over the day-to-day affairs of government, while a governor acts as head of state and commander-in-chief of the constabulary.[3] The Lower house of parliament, called the House of Assembly, is composed of elected representatives from the various provinces of the country. The Upper house of parliament, called the House of Chiefs, is similar to the British House of Lords. It is composed of unelected emirs of the various Native Authority Councils of the nation's provinces.[4] Before 1963, the Queen of the United Kingdom served as the sovereign of Northern Nigeria.[4]

Pre-colonial legacy[5]

The structure of Northern Nigeria's governments is entwined in the administrative structure of the Sokoto Caliphate, In 1903, the governor of Northern Nigeria, Lord Lugard, guaranteed the administrative structure of the region when he decided to preserve the emirate system of the caliphate; in later structural adjustments the emirates were slowly translated into provinces, some of which became composed of multiple emirates.

[6] Northern Nigerianism

As opposed to Nigerian Nationalism, Northern Nigeria never experienced a phase of nationalism that usually preceded the independence of most African countries, Northern Nigerianism on the other hand was directed against the perceived dominance and influence of the Nigerian South.[7] In the 1940s the Northern Nigerian delegation opted to maintain Nigeria's federal structure and subsequently voted against Independence. In 1952 another rejection of Independence by the North led to attacks on the Northern Delegation to the Lagos conference; News of the attacks led to the 1953 Kano Riots and the famous "mistake of 1914" speech delivered by the sardauna.

In the 1970s organised Northern Nigerian activism slowly led to the emergence of powerful pan-northern interest groups, these groups were however severely decapitated by the sweeping victories of Shehu Yar'adua Peoples Democratic Movement in 1993. since 1999, Northern Nigerianism has continued to suffer electoral setbacks.

Administrative and political structures

Emirates

The emirs of Northern Nigeria precide over the numerous emirates of the country; their number has gradually grown since the introduction of sub-class emirates in the third and fourth Nigerian Republics. Although constitutionally nominal since the first republic, they continue to be a source of authority and influence throughout Northern Nigeria.[8] In 2014, the selection of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir Kano led to a four-day standoff purportedly instigated by the president, who was afraid of the influence that Sunusi would garner from the office.[9]

[10] Local and state governments

Local politics in Northern Nigeria has been plagued by kleptocratic interest groups since the fall of the Northern Central Government. Organised kleptocracies in the form family compact political groups usually rule the Northern Nigerian grass roots. Some have speculated that cultural influence of the Nigerian South could be responsible for the endemic corruption that is plaguing Northern Nigeria's political polity.[11]

References

1. Dudley, Billy J. Parties and politics in northern Nigeria. ISBN 978-1-315-03271-9. OCLC 868979133.
2. "Northern Nigeria from Independence (1960) to 1979", Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Post-Colonial Northern Nigeria, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, doi:10.1057/9781137122575.0009, ISBN 978-1-137-12257-5
3. "The government of Northern Nigeria was modelled after the Westminster system. - Opera News". ng.opera.news. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
4. Goitom, Hanibal (February 2017). "National Parliaments: Nigeria". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
5. "Building New Bridges of Relationships in Postcolonial Northern Nigeria and the Evolution of a New Northern Nigeria", Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Post-Colonial Northern Nigeria, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, doi:10.1057/9781137122575.0015, ISBN 978-1-137-12257-5
6. Forrest, Tom (2019-09-11), "Military Government and Politics, 1970–1979", Politics and Economic Development in Nigeria, Routledge, pp. 47–72, doi:10.4324/9780429302367-3, ISBN 978-0-429-30236-7
7. Bello, Ahmadu. "Sarduana of Sokoto. His take on Igbo People and why there is no such thing as "One Nigeria"". youtube.com. youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
8. "Nigeria buries revered Muslim ruler". BBC News. 2014-06-06.
9. Muhammad, Abdussallam. "sunusi1". allafrica.com. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
10. Adedeji, Adebayo, editor. Rowland, L., editor. (197). Local government finance in Nigeria: problems and prospects. Published for the Institute of Administration [by] University of Ife Press. OCLC 539096.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
11. Kayode, Femi-Fani (2013-12-08). "The Nerve of Lawal Kaita and the Shame of Junaid Mohammed, by Femi Fani-Kayode". premium times. Retrieved 2014-01-07.