An ethnic group means a composition of interacting members, who defined themselves as belonging to a named or labeled social group whose interest they identify, and which manifests certain aspects of a unique culture while constituting a part of a wider society.
Ethnicity in Nigeria involves the identification of Nigerians with the dominant or subordinate majority or minority ethnic groups, all of which co-exist within the same society. The co-existence of these ethnic groups within the same polity has frequently led to the description of Nigeria as an accident of history.
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation with diverse cultural groups that are about three hundred in number. Nigeria is also seen today as one of the largest black nation and most populated country in Africa with a population of about 160 million people in African continent. Rather than harnessing our diversities towards viable national development, we have become slaves to our ethnic origins to which our allegiance is largely focused at the detriment of nation building. Fanatical ethnic consciousness has resulted into ethnic prejudice and mistrust, religious and political problems, and socio-cultural conflicts, these vices have pervaded all spheres of life in Nigeria, be it employment, education, religion and admission into federal Institutions
Interfaced with religion, statism and class, ethnicity is a potent reality in the Nigerian federal equation. Almost invariably, minority group problems and other related to them in Nigeria, are assumed to have their roots, in. 'ethnicity', Both concepts - 'minority' and 'ethnicity' is inseparable in Nigeria content.
Ethnographers estimate that over 250 ethnic groups make up Nigeria. Each of these consists of smaller social groups, for example the Yoruba consists of the Ekiti, Ijesha, Oyo and so on. The Ibo consists of Oguta etc, the Urhobo of Agbarho, Agbon, Ughelli and others. The Hausa have their various indigenous states, none of these groups however large was a nation in any sense before the colonial regrouping. It was the colonial government that merged them together in 1914 and later Balkanized Nigeria into tripartite structure in 1946 along ethnic lines. The multi ethnic composition of Nigeria continued to be a bane to Nigeria's national unity and development. Nigerian philosophers had advocated that whatever is done or anticipated in Nigeria, particularly at government quarters had ethnic undertone. In employment, admissions into schools, distribution of social amenities and in social relationships, ethnic affiliations and attachments are very strong and conspicuously manifest.
In Nigeria, the ethnic groups are occasionally fusions created by intermarriage, intermingling or assimilation. There have been cases of multi-ethnic vices such as allegiance to ethnic-group, intra-cultural and inter-ethnic antagonism, hostility, aggression, bitterness, hatred, mistrust in the country which have not augured well for the building of a virile Nigerian nation.
Nigeria has been characterized by perpetuating socio-political instability since her independence. This is consequent upon Nigeria's ethnic multiplicity and its associated political oddities. There are crises here and there. Incidences of communal clashes between ethnic groups have been on the increase even in recent years. In real terms, Nigeria has never really been an integrated nation. Most of the time what is described as harmonious co-existence between groups is often very fragile and this snaps as soon as there is any slight provocation. What follows afterwards are violent clashes in which lives are lost, school activities paralyzed and valuable properties were destroyed. For example, there were series of inter and intra-communal crisis and ethnic clashes in 1997 between Ijaws and Itsekiri and the reinvigorated crises in 2003 local government elections, Ife-Modakeke Fratricide war and among others, arising from either deliberate marginalization, differential opportunities of employment, education, government appointments and so on. The level of damage, the degree of loss of lives and properties, the disruption of social activities are pointers to the fact that ethnic clashes are doing more damage to the nation rather than building it.
Conclusion, to guard against ethnic anarchy in Nigeria and perpetual deprivation of the powerless (minority ethnic groups) by the powerful (majority ethnic groups), there must be a way of authoritatively allocating the values for the society. This implies that at any given time, some citizens may be indulge while others are deprived, but the decisions must regarded as binding by both ethnic groups whose fortune may be reversed in subsequent allocations.
By Reden Ese Tsolaye, a Political Scientist based in Warri, Delta State. GSM: 08077650175; 08033967030. E-mail: jebianjesus@yhoo.com
Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
ISSN 2354 - 4104
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