ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the problems of federal balance in Nigeria. It looks at the federal structure and the dynamics of presidential federalism so far, and examines tentative observations on Nigeria's performance under the new constitution. The chapter suggests that: imbalance in Nigeria's federalism is historical and multidimensional; and gross imbalance is fraught with as much danger as reckless attempts at balancing the unbalanced. The militarization of political culture in thirteen years of military rule has entailed the militarization of political style and language of most Nigerians. The reference often made to "old brigade" and the "new brigade" in Nigerian politics is a sign of the militarization of political language. The very dynamics of the political process in Nigeria indicate that there are many echoes of the past which are heard today, even if within new and at times different structures.
