NOTES ON THE CRISIS OF STATE-BUILDING IN NIGERIA

Abstract

At independence, Nigeria, just like many other post-colonial states, was bequeathed a collection of entities that were merged together for the administrative convenience of colonialists. Hence, the crisis of nation-building and state-building have persisted. Nigeria’s case is peculiar because of the continued expression of discontent by some of the federating units. This paper argues that lack of justice and equity is at the root of the crisis of state-building in Nigeria – and this would likely remain so for as long as the Nigerian state retains and perpetrates corruption, deep-rooted structures of injustice and inequity.