The challenges of nation-building in Nigeria and the state-building alternative

Journal article


Babalola, Dele and Okafor, Chukwuemeka 2022. The challenges of nation-building in Nigeria and the state-building alternative. Ethnopolitics. 23 (1), pp. 20-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2022.2101308
AuthorsBabalola, Dele and Okafor, Chukwuemeka
Abstract

Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation is plagued by a rise in ethnic nationalism, agitations for self-determination and secession, claims of marginalisation, and ethnic, regional and religious tensions. These issues continually dominate state politics. For some analysts, these problems are symptoms of a lack of oneness among the multiple ethno-linguistic and religious groups that make up the country. They are of the view that the solution to the intractable problems lies in nation-building, suggesting the enthronement of a sense of common nationality. On the contrary, this article argues that the lack of national consciousness for a nation may not be the main problem but the lack of viable institutions that can promote deep inter-ethnic relations. State-(re)building in the form of institution-strengthening is rather important for unity in the plural society. Therefore, the creation of new institutions and the strengthening of existing ones, including the federal system, to produce a viable Nigerian state capable of delivering on public goods and good governance is more important to address the many challenges confronting the state.

KeywordsNigeria; State-building
Year2022
JournalEthnopolitics
Journal citation23 (1), pp. 20-33
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1744-9057
1744-9065
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2022.2101308
Official URLhttps://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2022.2101308
Publication dates
Online03 Aug 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted11 Jul 2022
Deposited22 Aug 2022
Accepted author manuscript
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Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/9212y/the-challenges-of-nation-building-in-nigeria-and-the-state-building-alternative

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