The Supreme Court and national interest: The judiciary as a public-policy institution (2), by Usman Sarki

“The essence of federalism is full mutual consent. ” — John Buchan
Recalling Nigeria’s history in this discourse matters because the country is not an ordinary political community or mere contraption, as some advocates of restructuring erroneously imagine. It comprises peoples of deep consciousness, immense diversity in language, religion, culture, historical experience and political organisation, who expect these differences to coexist peacefully and equally within one sovereign state under one supreme legal framework.
The country’s unity cannot be sustained by geographical reference, rhetoric, agitations, coercion or sentiment alone. It must rest upon a continuing constitutional bar...