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Difficulty: Very hardThe Richards Constitution of 1946 and Regionalism

While the Richards Constitution of 1946 introduced regionalism by dividing Nigeria into Northern, Western, and Eastern regions, contemporary nationalist leaders argued that it failed to establish a genuine federal structure. Which constitutional arrangement best demonstrates that Nigeria remained structurally a unitary state under the 1946 Constitution?

  1. A
    The constitution formally divided legislative powers between the central government and regional governments, granting autonomous law-making powers to regional assemblies.
  2. The Regional Houses of Assembly lacked independent legislative and executive authority, functioning primarily as advisory and deliberative bodies to the central Legislative Council.Answer
  3. C
    The elective principle was expanded nationwide to allow citizens in all three regional assemblies to directly vote for their legislative representatives.
  4. D
    Warrant Chiefs were granted supreme veto power over laws passed by the central Legislative Council in Lagos.

Answer

The correct answer is that the Regional Houses of Assembly lacked independent legislative and executive authority, functioning primarily as advisory and deliberative bodies to the central Legislative Council.
Although the Richards Constitution of 1946 created Regional Houses of Assembly in the North, West, and East, these bodies were given deliberative and advisory functions only. They possessed no independent legislative powers or financial autonomy. All law-making authority was concentrated in the central Legislative Council in Lagos, maintaining a unitary system of government.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural framework established by the Richards Constitution of 1946.
Identified that Sir Arthur Richards created three administrative regions (North, West, East) and regional assemblies.
Understanding the administrative setup is key to determining whether power was shared or centralized.
2
Evaluate the legislative authority of the Regional Houses of Assembly under the 1946 Constitution.
Found that regional assemblies could only select representatives to the central council and debate bills; they could not enact independent legislation or appropriate revenue independently.
True federalism requires a constitutional division of legislative powers, whereas centralized legislative authority indicates a unitary state.
3
Differentiate between regionalism under the Richards Constitution (1946) and formal federalism under the Lyttelton Constitution (1954).
Concluded that the 1946 constitution provided administrative regionalism within a unitary state, whereas true federal division of powers occurred in 1954.
This distinction exposes why the regional assemblies under Richards did not alter Nigeria's unitary status.

Key Concept

Richards Constitution of 1946 and Regionalism vs Federalism
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Topics

The Richards Constitution of 1946 and Regionalism

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