CULTURAL IMPERATIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Most development interventions at local and national levels in Nigeria apparently lack cultural relevance and sensitivity, and consequently, end up a big failure. Culture is an essential force in the proper planning of development initiatives. Researchers and policy-makers have underscored the importance of cultural knowledge as it augments our understanding of development issues and strategies to enhance their sustainability in Africa. The interrogation of the current approaches to sustainable development from a cultural perspective is critical to achieving balanced development. Culture is necessary in order to give purpose and credibility to one’s own existence. Rob people of their culture and you rob them of their reason of being. It is imperative that cultural factors be integrated into the current discourses and strategies for enhancing sustainable development if the resulting outcomes are to be relevant to the realities of African societies and facilitate improvements in the quality of life and wellbeing of the people. Using desk research, interview technique and practical experiences, the paper examines the centrality of cultural approaches to development intervention in Nigeria (Africa) in view of the international call for an inclusive development strategy to enhance sustainability. At the same time, the paper attributes the lack of sustainable development in Nigeria to the imperialistic tendencies of the foreign culture. In the end, the paper makes recommendations on how culture can be handled to make sustainable development happen in Nigeria.