WAEC Government 2014 Theory — Question 6

Model answer

i. Desire for union: for a federal system of government to be adopted, it is necessary for the people who would be part of the federating units to express a desire to be united with others. ii. Desire for local independence: while there must be a desire for union, people of the various areas desiring federalism must also desire to have independence in local matters, without regulation or control from the central government. iii. Geographical contiguity: the areas desiring to adopt federalism must be geographically close to one another; if they are widely separated or not geographically contiguous, the adoption of federalism will be difficult. iv. Absence of marked inequalities among the component units: the component units desiring federalism must be relatively equal to one another, because a unit that is far more powerful than the others discourages the adoption of federalism, as the others would be suspicious of the intentions of the stronger unit. v. Security: the fear of invasion by more powerful states can make smaller states come together to adopt a federal system that helps them preserve their local independence.