HISTORICIZING THE CONCEPT OF ETHNICITY IN NIGERIA DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Nigeria as a political entity came into being following the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates by Lord Fredrick Lugard, then British Governor General of the territory. Since the amalgamation, Nigeria has been struggling with the challenges of nation-building fueled partly by the misplacement and the misapplication of the idea of ethnicity. The historical experiences of the peoples of Nigeria prior to colonial rule on the contrary does not support the misplaced application in the context of Nigeria development. Colonialists, with the support of Nigeria’s elite manipulated ethnic differences for parochial gains during the colonial period, while the latter have continued to feast on these sentiments in postcolonial period for similar gains. Relying on written materials by some of the key players and other secondary sources, this study by way of historical comparative analysis attempts to explain that contemporary ethnic conundrum in Nigeria political space that has whittled down her development can be controlled when emphasis is laid on common mutual beneficial interests, which have directed past intergroup relations among the peoples of Nigeria.