ABSTRACT
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and potentially one of its strongest in terms of exerting influence on neighboring African states and, at times, on events outside the continent. Within the West African subregion, Nigeria is unequaled in terms of the size of its economy, military, and population, leading to its claims to be a subregional "hegemonic power". Federalism has been a constant feature of political life since 1954, though its specific structure of implementation has altered over time. The constitution gave concurrent powers to federal and regional governments to pursue "industrial development", enabling elites to take foreign policy positions favorable to their own narrow interests. Nigeria was itself largely to blame in 1983 and 1985 with its expulsion of millions of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) workers, contrary to the spirit if not the law of ECOWAS.
