ANALYSIS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ON THE DEVOLUTION OF POWERS AND PROTECTION OF MINORITY RIGHTS IN NIGERIA, ETHIOPIA, AND INDIA

Abstract

Comparative constitutional analysis of the frameworks governing the devolution of powers and the protection of minority rights in three federal or quasi-federal states: Nigeria, Ethiopia, and India. These jurisdictions represent distinct constitutional experiments in managing ethno-linguistic and religious pluralism through institutional design. Drawing on constitutional texts, legislative instruments, judicial decisions, and scholarly commentary, the chapter evaluates the extent to which each constitutional order has succeeded in accommodating subnational diversities through vertical power-sharing and normative guarantees for minority groups. The analysis reveals that while all three constitutions enshrine formal commitments to devolution and minority protection, the gap between constitutional text and lived reality remains pronounced, owing to centralising tendencies, ethnic elite capture, and uneven judicial enforcement. The chapter ultimately argues that effective minority protection requires not only robust textual guarantees but also institutional mechanisms that ensure genuine fiscal autonomy, independent adjudication, and an inclusive political culture.