NEO-LIBERALISM AS A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR JOHN LOCKE'S LIBERALISM IN THE REPOSITIONING OF NIGERIA FEDERALISM

Abstract

As a result of the complexity of the contemporary society where there are new associations and societies with novel and multifaceted demands, John Locke's Liberalism being a system that pursues the happiness of the majority, cannot fulfil the yearnings and the needs of these unusual associations and societies without a support system. This support system cannot be nothing but a system that is an off-shoot of a liberalistic philosophy like that of John Locke but with a proportion of novelty and newness in its approach. The Nigerian Federalism as it stands today needs to be restructured using the Lockean Liberalistic principles in conjunction with neo-liberalistic principles so as to achieve a sound and true federalism in the Nigerian state. Nigeria being a typical example of what a complex society looks like, with its multi-ethnistic and multi-cultural compositions, needs a system more compatible with its nature and outlook for it to succeed politically and economically. That is why this work will pursue the panacea that will aid in the repositioning of the Nigerian politics using neo-liberalism an aid to liberalism.