Consequences of Ethnicity in Nigeria

assemble OF ETHNICITY IN NIGERIA CHAPTER 1 1. 0INTRODUCTIONNigeriaisby fartherthe close populated of Africas countries, with more(prenominal) than mavin-seventh of the continents peck. The people belong to many different heathen classifys. These groups give the country a voluminous culture, but they in any case pose major(ip) ch in allenges to solid ground building. pagan strife has plagued Nigeria since it gained independence in 1960. Officially known as the federal Republic of Nigeria, she hasafederal form of government and is divided into 36 states and a federal capital territory.Lagos, (formerly the capital of Nigeria) is the stinting and heathenish pass on matter located along the coast, and inhabited majorly by the Yoruba-speaking tribe. It is also the countrys largest city (in terms of population). The government moved from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 in the hope of creating a discipline capital where nvirtuoso of the countrys social groups would be dominant. Thela nd size beaof Nigeria is approximately 923,768 sq km (356,669 sq mi).It was home to culturalally based kingdoms and tribal communities before it became a European colony. In spite of European contact that began in the 16th century, these kingdoms and communities keep their autonomy until the 19th century. The colonial era began in earnest in the late 19th century, when Britain consolidated its rule over Nigeria. In 1914 the British merged their northern and southern protectorates into a single state cal take the small town and Protectorate of Nigeria. Nigeria became independent of British rule in 1960.After independence Nigeria experience frequent coups and long periods of autocratic military rule between 1966 and 1999, when a democratic civilian government was established Nigeria is very rich in raw materials like crude oil, tin, iron etceterabut is al close just dependent on crude oil which is a major line of descent of income for the country. While oil wealth has financed major investments in the countrys infrastructure, Nigeria remains among the worlds poorest countries in terms of per capita income. Oil revenues led the government to ignore agriculture, resulting in dependence on food importation.Fig 1. 1 MAP OF NIGERIA SHOWING THE 36 STATES 1. 1 The people of Nigeria Nigerias diversity, both in tongue and tribe makes it a very difficult region to subject to precise classification. This has led to the tendency among many scholars to focus on the terce major ethnic or geographical zones in the country viz the Hausa-Fulani (Northern Nigeria), the Yoruba (Western Nigeria) and the Igbo (Eastern Nigeria). These geographic zones atomic play 18 not in any way solely active by the three ethnic groups. A plethora of smaller socio-ethnic groups may be located in these zones.Thehighestpopulation densities ar in the Igbo heartland in south-eastern Nigeria, disdain poor soils and heavy emigration. The intensively farmed zones around and including sever al(prenominal)(prenominal) major cities of the Hausa ethnic group especially Kano, Sokoto, and Zaria in the north are also densely populated. Other subjects of high density include Yorubaland in the southwest, the profound Jos Plateau, and the Tiv homeland in Benue State in the south central region. Densities are relatively low in the dry northeast and in most parts of the middle belt.Ecological factors, including the prevalence of diseases such as sleeping sickness, carried by the tsetse fly, and historical factors, especially the legacy of pre-colonial slave raiding, help explain these low densities (Encarta, 2009). Table 1. 1 Statistics of Nigeria Population 138,283,240 (2008 estimate) Population density 152 persons per sq km 393 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) Urban population dissemi area 48 per centumage (2005 estimate) countryfied population distribution 52 percent (2005 estimate) Largest cities, with population Lagos, 11,100,000 (2005 estimate) Ibadan, 3,570,000 (20 07 estimate)Ogbomosho, 861,300 (2007 estimate) Official language English Chief ghostly affiliations Muslim, 50 percent Christian, 40 percent Indigenous beliefs, 10 percent Life expectancy 47. 8 eld (2008 estimate) Infant mortality rate 94 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) Literacy rate 70. 7 percent (2005 estimate) Source Encarta Encyclopaedia (2009) 1. 2 Social issues Wealthand reasonaredistributed very unevenly in Nigerian federation. This is due to several factors including corruption, political instability, and unemployment, amid some otherwises.The great majority of Nigerians, preoccupied with daily struggles to earn a living, oblige few material possessions and little chance of improving their lot. Meanwhile, chiefs, rich merchants, politicians, and high-ranking civil servants often accumulate and flaunt massive wealth, which to a degree is expected and accepted in the Nigerian society. Most of these selected maintain power through networks of patronage The y secure and distribute grasp and receive political support in return.The system allows for some redistribution of income beca expend patrons often pay for things such as school fees and marriage costs for relatives, companionship reading, and charity work. Economicinequalityhas a severe effect on health, especially for children. One-fifth of Nigerian children die before the age of five, mainly from treatable diseases such as malaria, measles, whooping cough, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Less than one-half of infants are immunized against measles, and malnutrition affects more than 40 percent of children under the age of five.Adults are equally affected, although with little deadly consequences. Only 20 percent of plain Nigerians and 52 percent of urban Nigerians have access to safe water supply. One-third have no access to health care simply because they live too far from clinics or other treatment centres. Many others cannot afford the fees charged by clinics. Whileaverageincom es are higher and death rates disgrace in cities, urban poverty is as pervasive as rural poverty. Secure, well-paying jobs are scarce, even for those with considerable education. Food is typically expensive.Housing, too, is costly contempt its rudimentary quality, prompting the poor to build basic houses in shantytowns. cloaca disposal systems in most cities are also basic or primitive, with polluted streams, wells, roadside drains, and other bodies of water increasing the risk of morbific disease. Industry, automobiles, and the burning of fuel-wood further pollute air and water. CrimeinNigeria pink wine in the mid-1990s as a result of unemployment, economic decline, and social inequality, which are abetted by inefficient and corrupt police and customs forces.More than half of all offenses are thefts, burglaries, and break-ins, although armed robberies are also prominent. Nigeria is a major conduit for drugs go from Asia and Latin America to markets in Europe and North America. Large-scale Nigerian fraud rings have targeted business people in other parts of the world. Nigeriahasbeenwracked by periodic violent clashes between ethnic and phantasmal groups since the 1990s. The reasons behind these clashes have varied from local political disputes to conflicts between fundamentalist Muslims and Christians or moderate Muslims.In many cases, local civic or religious leaders have manipulated these conflicts for political gain. 1. 3 Ethnicity The Ethnic Composition of Nigeria Ethnicity is a term not soft defined and for proper discernment of the excogitation cerebrate terms requires description an ethnic group is regarded as an folksy bear on group whose members are distinct from the members of other ethnic groups at heart the bigger society because they share kinship, religious and linguistics ties (Cohen, 1974). Ethnicism is another related concept used to denote ethnic homage (Pepple, 1985).The concept of trueness here indicates willingness to support and act on behalf of the ethnic group. Subsequently, ethnic loyalty or ethnicism usually involves a degree of obligation and is often accompany by a rejective attitude to struggleds those regarded as outsiders i. e. members of other ethnic group (Salawu and Hassan, 2011). Thus the term Ethnicity can be defined as the interactions among members of many divers(prenominal) groups (Nnoli, 1978). It is a commonplace fact that Nigeria is a society with different ethnic groups, religions, languages, cultures and institutional arrangements.As a heterogeneous society of several ethnic groups, Nigerians are thus characterized by groups, desires, beliefs, values, customs, fears etc. These diversities in national life manifest in several ways including music, language, culture, dance, beliefs, religion etc. The fact that over three hundred place language groups last in Nigeria has created some confusion as one may equal each language group with an ethnic group (Adejuyibem 1983) and thereb y fuck off at over three hundred ethnic groups.As Iwaloye and Ibeanu (1997) and Anugwom (1997) have argued, however, languages and ethnic groups do not necessarily coincide. One language may be spoken by more than one ethnic group and one ethnic group may have linguistic variations of the same prow language. Moreover, while language may be one of the important factors for define an ethnic group, some ethnic groups in Nigeria may have incapacitated their original linguistic roots, while retaining their identity, as a result of brilliant interaction with larger socio-ethnic groups.In the same vein, many ethnic groups may use the same language to case communication, as is the case of the smaller ethnic groups in the North of Nigeria, where Hausa has become more or less a lingua franca. Therefore, it has been proven that there is no direct relationship between language and ethnic group in Nigeria. Thus, the 56 ethnic groups identified by Iwaloye and Ibeanu (1997) as the existing et hnic groups in contemporary Nigeria are adopted. It is important to note that the ethnic groups in Nigeria may exceed this number by far, though these 56 groups are both visible and easily identifiable.The 56 ethnic groups are attested in the table below. Table 1. 2 Ethnic group in Nigeria 1. Hausa-FuIani 29. Buri 2. Igbo 30. Balta 3. Yoruba 31. Kanuri 4. Edo 32. Margi 5. Bassawa 33. Delta Minorities 6. Igala 34. Gwadara 7. Idoma 35. Chamba-Daka 8. Ora 36. Mambila 9. Ijo 37. Katang 10. Isoko 38. Berom 11. Urhobo 39. Kadara 12. Itshekiri 40. Kurama 13. Baatonum 41. Mada 14. Karnbari 42. Alago 15. Dulawa 43. Migili 16. Kamaku 44. Eggon 17. Ebira 45. Bokyi 18. Nupe 46. Ekon 19. Gwari 47. Agoi 20. Tiv 48. Efik 21. Jukun 49. Ibibio 2. Chomo-karim 50. Annang 23. Jarwa 51. Mumuye 24. Angas 52. Waja 25. Yekhee 53. Busa 26. Karekare 54. Dendi 27. Eloyi 55. Buduma 28. Gade 56. Shuwa Source Iwaloye and Ibeanu (1997) Nigeria is known for its cultural diversities but while these diversities have been positively harnessed for greatness by other nations of the world the opposite is regrettably the case in Nigeria despite the efforts of heroes past in ensuring that these diversities are harnessed for breeding rather they have served as the bane of social, economic and political development.Consequently, Nigeria as a nation has been besieged by an array of social, economic and political problems these include corruption, tribalism, escape of patriotism, political gangsterism e. t. c (Nduka, 2004 and Omo-Ojugo et al. , 2009). 1. 4 Ethnicity and Marginalisation Before the advent of colonialism, the area now referred to as Nigeria was a large landmass occupied by un-unified people of several(a) ethnic groups but for administrative convenience they were amalgamate and merged together by the olonialists. For the duration of colonial rule, the marriage of the diverse ethnic groups was maintained and the diversities were united without any problem. With the exit of the coloni alists, things started falling by resulting in marginalisation and ethnic conflict thus adversely effecting the development of the budding nation. Ethnic conflict has been rightly defined as one of the greatest obstacles to meaningful development in Africa.The ethnic factor did not diminish with the advent of independence rather, it became a yardstick for measuring constituent to the national development effort and especially for allocating and distributing power and national resources and ultimately resulted in the 30- month slaughter in the Nigerian civil war (1967 to 1970) which was anchored on ethnic rivalry. The history of present day Nigeria is rife with cases of ethno-religious conflicts. Since the annulment of the 1993 elections, there have been increased demands and counter-demands for marginalisa1ion by various ethnic groups in the country.Marginalisation stems from a peoples perception of their treatment in the allocation or distribution of power and resources. A class ic example is made for the Ogoni, who despite having provided the nation with an estimated $30,000 million in oil revenues, their people had no pipe borne water or electricity, and lacked education, health and other social facilities it is intolerable that one of the richest areas of Nigeria should rejoice in abject poverty and destitution (Saro-Wiwa, 1992).In this light, the Ogoni ethnic group has concrete reasons to consider itself marginalised, especially since these facilities can be found in other ethno-regional areas of Nigeria. 1. 5 OBJECTIVE OF THE postulate The general objective of the study is to 1. analyze the role ethnicity plays in the socio-economic development of Nigeria. 2. Assess the impact of ethnicity on present day Nigeria 3. Examine the effect on day-to-day activities of Nigerians 1. 6 look into QUESTIONS i. Impact of ethnicity on social and economic development in Nigeria? ii. utilisation of colonialism in ethnic groups formation . 7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY The orbital cavity of the project envelops the influence of ethnicity in Nigerias social and economic development and its impact on present day Nigeria. 1. 8 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The importance of this study is made manifest in the form of understanding the role ethnic diversity plays in the development of a country, in this case Nigeria. 1. 9 CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION ETHNICITY Ethnicity in this study is referred to as an affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties or the interactions among members of many diverse groupsETHNIC GROUP For the purpose of this study, an ethnic group is regarded as an informal interest group whose members are distinct from the members of other ethnic groups within the larger society because they share kinship, religious and linguistics ties SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT in this project, socio economic development is defined as a comprehensive process knotted in improving social and economic conditions on individual and group empowerment, communit y, national and regional building.