Nigeria’s Federalism and the Implementation of the Child Rights Act 2003
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This study “Nigeria’s Federalism and the Implementation of the Child Rights Act 2003”, examined the burden of federalism imperatives on the implementation of the Child Rights Act 2003. The objectives of the study were to, identify the constraints posed by federalism on the implementation of the provisions of the CRA 2003, and suggest possible ways by which the legislature can ensure the implementation of the provisions of Section 28 of the CRA and future treaties. The study adopted the qualitative research design, employing the content analysis method. The study relied on secondary sources for data; published materials such as books, journals, articles, CRA 2003, Conventions on the Rights of the Child, etc., were sources of data. The findings showed that the structure of Nigeria’s federalism has inadvertently led to the minimal/non-implementation and legal inconsistencies in the CRA 2003. Nigeria is a federal system which requires the transformation of treaties into domesticated law by the national and sub-national legislative arms of governance. However, the active participation of sub-national governments and legislatures remains a critical success factor for the implementation of such domesticated laws, especially for issues not included in the Exclusive Legislative List. Consequently, the study advocated for the advancement of federalism imperatives such as the subsidiarity principle and para-diplomacy, as possible strategies that would enhance the implementation of the provisions of the CRA.