Decree 34 of 1966 was unacceptable to many Nigerians because it was

Analyzing the question

The question asks why Decree 34 of 1966 was rejected by many Nigerians. This is a Nigerian constitutional history question from the period of Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi's military government.

The concept

After the January 1966 coup, General Ironsi became Head of the Federal Military Government. On 24 May 1966 he issued the Unification Decree (Decree No. 34). It did the following:

• Abolished the federal structure of government and replaced it with a unitary system.
• Replaced the regions with "groups of provinces."
• Merged the regional civil services and the federal civil service into a single national civil service.
• Renamed the country the "Republic of Nigeria" instead of the "Federal Republic of Nigeria."

Step-by-step solution

1. Decree 34 is also known as the Unification Decree, which means it dealt with the structure of government.
2. Northerners in particular feared that a unified civil service would let better-educated Southerners dominate public offices. They also saw the decree as an end to regional autonomy.
3. This led to riots in the North in May 1966 and, later, to the July 1966 counter-coup.
4. Go through the options: • A. Impoverishment: not the issue. • B. Perceived to abolish the federal system: this matches the decree's effect and the main reason for the opposition. • C. Promulgated without consultation: a minor criticism at best, and it was not the main objection. • D. Alien: not relevant.

Answer: B, because the decree was perceived as abolishing the federal system and replacing it with a unitary one.

Exam tip: Link "Decree 34" to "Unification" and "Unitary system." Whenever you see "Unification Decree," think "end of federalism.