FEDERAL CHARACTER PRINCIPLE, AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR SUSTAINING NIGERIA'S FEDERALISM

Right from the period of Nigeria's colonial administration the issue of cries of marginalisation by some ethnic groups (especially the minorities) propelled entrenchment of the Federal Character Principle in the 1979 Constitution. The paper tends to explained the application of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria's Federalism over the years, which has strengthened the unity of the country, with the evenly spread of political and employment positions to all the states of the Federation, and Federal Capital Territory. It also highlight some impediments to the smooth working/actualization of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria as regard, the flagrant disregard to the adherence of the guidelines and formulae in political appointments as well as recruitment into employment position in the State and Federal Public Services.