Ethnicism and State Creation in Nation Building: An Appraisal of Facts and Farce of Federalism in Nigeria

Abstract

Traditional sociological wisdom claims that ethnic pluralism is an ephemeral problem. It assumes that inexorable historical forces, such as urbanization, industrialization and secularization, are bound to erode communal identities and produce an overarching loyalty to the state. Such nationalism will transform ethnically divided societies into nation-states. The experience of Nigeria demonstrates, however, that the pursuit of nationalist policies has the effect of further dividing rather than uniting ethnically divided societies. This paper discusses this paradox. Is it that ethnicity and nation-building and nationalism are incompatible? What is the relationship between ethnicity and the intended and unintended processes of nation-building? Why is nationalism divisive in Nigeria? The major issue explored is how multi-ethnic societies like Nigeria have held together despite their inability to become nations. Although some analysts have noted this paradox, but there has not been any systematic attempt to probe how these societies are internally maintained by their constituent ethnic groups or how ethnic and state sentiments have been reconciled. This paper explains with the aid of evidence assembled from interviews, observations, and primary and secondary sources, how it is that Nigeria has managed, since the war, to cope with either secession or domination by any one ethnic group. The major theoretical contributions pertain to how compatible ethnicity is with Nationalism and Nation-building.