For close to a century, the perennial problem that has bedeviled Nigeria has been how to ensure the protection and the promotion of the interests of its various communities. Successive governments have introduced several mechanisms to this end. They include the Federal Character Principle, which constitutes the bedrock of the Nigerian consociative federal arrangement. Nevertheless, persistent regional inequalities and the pervasive side effects of the various strategies have constantly cast a doubt on the efficacy the Federal Character Principle. A similar trend is visible in other countries that are practicing other versions of preferential treatment policies. It appears that to achieve a meaningful reduction of horizontal inequalities, irrespective of cultural, ideological or institutional settings, the most viable option remains sound educational policies at the primary and secondary school levels in favour of potential beneficiaries of preferential treatments.
