Ogbe Henry Ejotubu, Onyemekihian Jude

Keywords: Ethnicity, national integration, nation-building, national development

Abstract

The paper examined challenges of ethnicity on national integration as well as obstacle to nation-building for national development in Nigeria. The paper adopted observation and secondary methods of data gathering, and transformational leadership theory. The paper reaffirmed that British colonial government integrated over 250 Nigerian ethnic groups in the 1914 amalgamation without consultation of concerned nationalities. So, the integration which supposed to have served as pathway toward nation-building for national development suffered social structural ‘set-backs’. This is because both the dominant and minority ethnic groups are unwilling to transfer their loyalties to the central government. Findings revealed that bad political culture and socialization, weak national integration and politics of bitterness as a result of ethnicity affect the quest for strong nation-building owing to the unwillingness of the leaders and the people to form a Nigerian nation. The paper concludes that challenges of ethnicity and bad political culture and socialization have given rise to a corrupt value system, election rigging and insecurity in Nigeria. The paper recommends among others strict adhere to the rule of law, non-practice of parochialism and practice of meritocratic system as a way forward for development in Nigeria.

Author Biography

OGBE, Henry Ejotubu  

ONYEMEKIHIAN, Jude

Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Delta, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria

ogbetubu@yahoo.com, jude.onyemekihian@unidel.edu.ng

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