Which political system with large chiefdoms in Nigeria ruled with the advice of his council of chiefs?

Analyze the question: It asks which traditional Nigerian political system had large chiefdoms (kingdoms) headed by a ruler (an Oba) who governed with the advice of a council of chiefs.

Concept: Pre-colonial Nigerian societies had different political structures:

• Hausa-Fulani: A centralized emirate system. The Emir held very wide powers, and after the 1804 Jihad he was both political and religious head. He had advisers, but the system was highly centralized and autocratic, and the Emir was answerable to the Sultan of Sokoto.
• Igbo: Largely decentralized and republican. Power was held by village assemblies, elders, age grades and the Ohanaeze. There was no central king (except in places like Nri and Onitsha).
• Ijaw: Organized around city-states and war-canoe houses, with a mix of kinship and house heads.
• Tiv: A stateless society organized by lineage and age grades, with no chiefs.
• Yoruba: Organized into kingdoms with the Oba as head. The Oba ruled with the advice of a council of chiefs (for example the Oyomesi in Oyo, the Ogboni and other chiefs elsewhere). This made the Oba a constitutional monarch to some degree, since the chiefs could check his power.

Solution: The system with large chiefdoms (kingdoms) where the ruler governed with the advice of his council of chiefs fits the Yoruba system best. The Hausa-Fulani Emir had far more concentrated power, and the Igbo and Tiv had no such central ruler.

**Answer: E.

Tip: Remember the pattern: Hausa-Fulani = Emir with strong centralized power, Yoruba = Oba checked by chiefs (limited monarchy), Igbo and Tiv = stateless or decentralized. Questions on "council of chiefs advising a king" usually point to the Yoruba.