THE 1914 AMALGAMATION: PRE-CURSOR TO MISCONSTRUED UNITY IN POST-COLONIAL NIGERIA

Abstract

The 1914 Amalgamation is central to the controversies and contentions between the peoples of Northern and –Southern Nigeria. The unsolicited union enthroned seemingly intractable religious and ethnic problems in Nigeria’s socio-political and economic life. As a consequence, the political landscape of Nigeria overwhelmingly began to witness destructive clannish/ethnic and religious activities that are inimical to national development. Similarly, skewed constitutional developments during the colonial era bequeathed a deleterious political structure to Nigeria. The Arthur Richard’s Constitution of 1947 constitutionalized regional politics in Nigeria and created the bases of the future development of the Nigerian polity. This paper focuses on the 1914 Amalgamation and the numerous challenges that make forging a strong unity between northern and southern Nigeria elusive. The paper submits that Nigeria as presently constituted faces an imminent implosion and possible division if the structural errors foisted on the ethnic nationalities since 1914 are not consciously addressed. The method adopted was historical narrative. It was approached thematically and analytically, while presentation was chronological.