Intergovernmental Relations and Development Coordination in Nigeria: A Study of Katsina State

This study investigates how intergovernmental relations between federal, state, and local governments influence development coordination in Katsina State, located in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone. Nigeria's federal structure creates a three-tier system of governance in which coordination across levels is essential for effective service delivery and development implementation, yet institutional rivalries, financial disparities, and ambiguous constitutional provisions frequently obstruct collaborative governance in practice. The study employs a descriptive design with primary data collected from 180 respondents including state ministry officials, local government chairmen, federal agency representatives, and civil society actors through structured questionnaires and interviews. The Cooperative Federalism Theory and the Multi-Level Governance Framework provide the theoretical basis. Secondary data includes Katsina State government publications, reports from the National Council on Intergovernmental Relations, and recent academic literature on Nigerian federalism and local governance. Quantitative data is analyzed using descriptive statistics, while interview data is analyzed thematically. Findings are expected to highlight poor information sharing, duplication of programs, and political tensions as the main barriers to effective intergovernmental development coordination in Katsina State. Recommendations include the establishment of a state-local government joint development planning committee and harmonization of project databases across government tiers. Keywords: Intergovernmental relations, development coordination, Katsina State, federalism, local governance.