The national question and Nigeria’s ethnic and identity crises

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study investigated the relationship between Nigeria’s national questions and ethnic identity crises. The study employed a qualitative approach as its method of data gathering and analysis with the adoption of secondary sources. It contended that Nigeria’s political history is riddled with conflicts and instability occasioned by the crisis of identity which has jeopardised the country’s national unity and political integration. The paper concluded that ethnicity as a major sentiment causes social and political quagmires which constitutes serous national questions and further negatively influences development in Nigeria. As a result, this conundrum not only affects Nigerian national integration but also the level of harmony, patriotism and loyalty to the legitimacy of the Nigerian state. The paper recommended that, to stem the tide of ethnicity crises, there is the need to demystify and deconstruct ethnicity, regionalism and promote, through dogged political mobilisation and sensitisation, a sense of belonging among the diverse groups that constitute the Nigerian state.