This question was not popular with the candidates as many of them ran away
from it. It was even a disaster for the few that attempted it because they lost
substantial marks due to their inability to grasp the demands of the question.
A good number of the victims of this circumstance just wrote epistles on the
various constitutions without bringing out the positions that strengthened the
adoption of federalism. Some other groups also failed woefully because they
merely listed the factors that led to the adoption of federalism in Nigeria.
There was outright poor performance in the question.
Some of the points conspicuously missing in candidates’ responses included:
- the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria in 1914;
- the Arthur Richards Constitution of 1946 created three regions namely: North, East and West;
- the Macpherson Constitution of 1951 gave some legislative powers to the Regions under central control;
- in 1954, the Lyttleton Constitution introduced true federalism with division of legislative powers between the centre and the regions;
- in 1957, self government was granted to the Eastern and Western Regions, etc.