Answer to Question #92750 in History for ibukun

Question

Compare and contrast centralized and non-centralized systems of action in pre-colonial nigeria

Answer 1

Pre-colonial Nigeria used both the centralized and non-centralized system of governance. In this sense, the country differed in their governing systems due to ethnic and ethnolinguistic differences. In contrast to the systems, some communities such as the Yoruba and the Hausa used the centralized system or the chiefly society. Since the Yoruba had migrated from upper Egypt, they practiced a monarchical system of governance as a centralized system ruled by a king with the assistance of other chiefs. Conversely, communities such Igbo used the decentralized system, where power was delegated to more institutions. In other words, the centralized system was governed by people such as kings, unlike the decentralized system where an institution such as the Igbo clan system. The similarities in the two systems may be traced to the roles performed by the leaders of the pre-colonial communities in Nigeria. The two systems promoted culture and norms in the community and solved disputes that arise in the respective communities.