Abstract
Restructuring has remained one of the burning issues in Nigeria today. The call for restructuring arose from the challenges and issues inherent in the Federal System of Government in Nigeria. Nigeria is a British colony formed through the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914. In 1960, Nigeria gained independence and adopted a Federal Constitution with three and later four regions as its federating units. These regions had significant powers and contributed to the central government’s funding. However, with the coming into power of the military, they favoured centralization and weakened the powers of the regions by creating 12 states. Overtime, more power was concentrated at the center and the number of states increased to 36 which caused an imbalance in the system. This paper therefore explored the concept of restructuring as a panacea to the political and economic problems in Nigeria. The objective of this work revealed that the Federal System of Government as practiced in Nigeria is marred by numerous challenges which have led to several agitations for restructuring from different sections of the country. Using the doctrinal method, this paper analyzed textbooks, articles in journals, newspapers and internet sources, and observed that the concentration of power in the central government has resulted in inequitable distribution of resources and marginalization of certain ethnic groups. In conclusion, the paper recommended the devolution of powers from the central government to the states, the adoption of the principle of rotation power and an upward review of revenue as veritable measures for tackling the political and economic problems in Nigeria.