ETHNO-RELIGIOUS CRISIS, EDUCATION AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: A HISTORICAL INSIGHT

Abstract

Ethno-religious forces are very potent in the world, they engage the society as a double edge sword. This is perhaps why they can cause conflict or abate it depending on which of the edges being used. This study addresses the serious issues of ethno-religious crisis and their adverse effect on education and good governance in Nigeria. The paper contends that ethno-religious conflicts are twin evils that always bedevils Nigeria, which tends to stretch the bounds of unity to a potentially snapping point. The paper however posits that from about the beginning of the 21st century, the once centers of African civilizationslides into ethno-religious crisis. What principally accounts for this unsavory state of affairs is the strong prejudice of the parallel forces of ethnicity and religion. The kernel of the paper rests on the fact that for Nigeria to experience an appreciable and sustainable level of educational development with regard to the attainment of national unity, integration and sustainable democracy especially good governance, there must be a paradigm shift in emphasis through adequate encouragement of ethno-religious education to achieve good governance. The paper adopts chiefly the thematic, critical and analytical methodology, as well assecondary source of data collection for analysis.