The Need for National Political Reform Conference (1), by Afe Babalola

There had been calls to precocious heavens from antithetic quarters for a National Political Reform Conference. This is truthful due to the fact that galore believed that the 1999 Constitution bequeathed to america by the subject does not adequately correspond their involvement and aspirations of implicit 200 tribes, taste groups successful the geographical country christened Nigeria by Mrs. Lugard.

To commencement with, it is important to analyse the meaning of the connection “country” oregon “nation” successful bid to find whether arsenic presently constituted Nigeria is simply a state oregon a nation.

Meaning of the Words  “Country” and “Nation”

I privation to analyse the ineligible concepts of 2 words “country” and “Nation” which are often misused and misapplied.

According to Black’s Law Dictionary, Seventh Edition, a “Country” tin mean:- “A federation oregon governmental state. The territory of specified a federation oregon state”.

The aforesaid dictionary defines “nation” as:

“A ample radical of radical having a communal origin, language, and contented and usually constituting a governmental entity”.

The highly authoritative substance elucidates the conception further successful the pursuing words:

“The nearest we tin get to a explanation is to accidental that a federation is simply a radical of radical bound unneurotic by communal history, communal sentiment and traditions, and, usually (though not always, as, for example, Belgium oregon Switzerland) by communal heritage. A state, connected the different hand, is simply a nine of men agreed nether 1 government…..A azygous federation whitethorn beryllium divided into respective states, and conversely a azygous authorities whitethorn comprise respective nations oregon parts of nations”.

The tenable decision derivable from the supra dictionary definitions is that a state is synonymous with statehood whereas a federation is chiseled successful that it emphasizes communal origin, and continuity, aforesaid language, contented and custom.

Nations successful Ancient and Medieval History

Perhaps past past provides a veritable root of knowing of what was regarded arsenic a federation successful those days of yore. Examples of past Nations oregon states are Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Macedonia, Greece, Rome, Jews (later Israel) and Palestine.

In those days, erstwhile a almighty federation conquered little almighty ones, the second federation did not integrate the conquered territory into the conquering nation. They did not bask the aforesaid rights and obligations. The contented successful this signifier was to debar undue “pollution” oregon “contamination”.

They were simply regarded arsenic inferior portion of the empire. A bully illustration was the Roman Empire which extended implicit Mediterranean countries and beyond into the acold East. The conquered countries were not regarded arsenic Romans.

It is simply a information of past that civilization suffered superior setback during the acheronian ages. But it is besides existent that we beryllium the contiguous civilization for the relation played by European nations, starting from medieval epoch to the contiguous time. The caller nations similar Portugal, Spain, Netherlands and England were intelligibly the architects of the contiguous civilization.

Nations successful Contemporary History

Today, modern nations exist. Examples are England, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Greece, Holland, Belgium and Germany, to notation a few. The absorbing happening astir these nations is that they maintained and are inactive maintaining their identity, culture, languages and communal involvement careless of modernity and modernization.

Genesis of Unions and Federalism: American Example

Often times, we successful this state notation to the United States of America arsenic our exemplary federation but astir of america ne'er bothered to analyse however America became a federation.

Union of States oregon federation of states is simply a caller improvement having respect to recorded history.

The Federation of America was the amalgamation of existing states which voluntarily yielded immoderate of its powers of the Union for the payment of the generality of the union. An indispensable constituent of the federation is that the Union had nary powerfulness implicit the states successful matters not specifically yielded by the authorities to the Union.

America, that is the United States of America, was a immense country of onshore sparsely populated by Indians. 

After Cabots Voyage 1497 and 1504, England claimed the full onshore successful North America including what is present known arsenic USA.

Later, immoderate Europeans chiefly England and Dutch embarked connected perilou...