How True is Nigeria’s Federalism: A Theoretical Perspective

Against the background of calls for the establishment of true federalism in Nigeria, this paper examines the literature on federalism in order to find out the true form of federalism. The aim of the paper is to identify the “federalist mean” and to locate the extent to which the Nigerian federation deviates from this “mean”. The paper argues that every federal state is unique in terms of its experience and historical antecedents, and therefore adopts institutions, structures and processes that best suits its needs. There is therefore no “true” or “false” federalism. The study adopts idealism as the theoretical framework, and undertakes data collection and interpretation using the historical method. The paper observes that no two federations are alike given that no two sates are actually the same. It was further observed that every federation is in a fluid state, swinging between unitarianism at one end and confederation at the other end. Finally the study discovers that there is no mean as long as federalism is concerned, therefore Nigerian federalism cannot be described as true or false. The study therefore recommends that Nigerians should drop calls for the enactment of true federalism. Rather a continuous political debate is needed to discuss the restructuring of federalism in Nigeria in a direction that could enable Nigerians  achieve their expectations,. Issues such as accountability and transparency, resource management, human rights and safeguarding the future of unborn generations should be on the front burner of this debate at all times

Education for Human Rights Enforcement: A Functionalist Perspective

This paper captioned “Education for Human Rights Enforcement: a Functionalist Perspective”, attempts to examine the factors responsible for the violation of fundamental human rights across the globe. It further attempts to locate the propellants of rights violation, examining the place of absence of functional education in the entire process. The paper argues that the failure of society to provide functional education to its citizens is the primary reason why people violate the rights of their fellow human beings. Using functionalism as the theoretical framework, the study observes that humanity has committed huge philosophical, institutional, financial and manpower resources to the defense of human rights. However the outcome has not justified this huge investments, as the world presently witnesses human rights violation more than ever before. The study therefore concludes that the provision of functional education is the panacea to rights abuses, as the educational system will help impart positive values for the defense of human rights