How Revenue Inequality Shaped Nigeria’s Founding and Regional Tensions

At independence, Nigeria’s western, eastern, and northern regions generated vastly different revenues. Western Nigeria had a £55 million budget in 1960, compared with £12 million in the East and £9 million in the North. Despite these disparities, the North secured half of national representation without matching the revenue contribution. This early compromise created an unequal burden-sharing that limited free education and universal healthcare across the federation. Many of Nigeria’s ongoing challenges stem from uniting regions with different economic capacities. True national success requires balanced economic organization and fair revenue sharing among all regions.

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