Why do some West African countries adopt the Unitary” system of government while others do not?
Explanation
The following are reasons why some West African countries adopt the unitary system of government while others do not:
(i) Tribal differences: Unitary system of government is best practised in a country where people are homogenous in character and there are no sharp differences in religion, race, language, etc.
(ii) Size of the country: It is best practised in a small country. For e.g Ghana, Benin Republic, etc.
(iii) Loyalty to the central government: Unitary system works in a country where the citizens show loyalty to the central government.
(iv) No fear of domination: If different sections of the country do not have to entertain any form of fear of domination, unitary is a better option for them.
(v) Common language and culture: These factors can give rise to the adoption of a unitary state. The reason is that the people see one another as of one identity and no division among them.
(vi) Absence of Minority groups: A country where the issue of minority is not in question, unitary system can work well there.
(vii) Not-too-defined economic inequalities: This has the capacity of removing fears of economic exploitation and domination and unitary option will work very well in such a system.