A characteristic of most pre - colonial governments in Nigeria is that they

Most pre-colonial governments in Nigeria had no clear separation of powers. This means that there was often no distinct differentiation between the functions of the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government. Rather, power was centralized in the hands of the ruler, who acted as the head of the government, and was often surrounded by a council of advisers. The ruler had absolute control over the affairs of the state, and the functions of the other arms of government were usually fused into the office of the ruler. The judiciary, for instance, was usually subordinate to the executive arm of government, and often served at the pleasure of the ruler. This lack of separation of powers was a major characteristic of pre-colonial governments in Nigeria.