ETHNIC POLITICS AND FEDERALISM IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Ethnic politics and federalism in Nigeria focused on the practices that exist on the three tribes in Nigeria which lead to unfavorable condition and situation of Nigeria federalism.

However, it will talk more about how the British/colonial administrator’s introduced ethnicity in Nigeria which led to divide and rule system. Further, it will also talk about the oppression of the minority by the majority groups or ruling class which contributed in unequal distribution of federal allocation. It will also throw more light on the Nigerian policy and electoral practices which is not free and fair.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preliminary pages

Title Page –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      i

Approval Page –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      ii

Dedication      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      iii

Acknowledgement –      –      –      –      –      –      –      iv

Abstract –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      v

Table of content     –      –      –      –      –      –      –      vi

CHAPTER ONE

1. Background of the Study       –      –      –      –      –      1
2. Statement of the Problem     –      –      –      –      4
3. Objectives of the Study  –      –      –      –      –      5
4. Scope and Limitation of the Study –      –      –      6
5. Significance of the Study       –      –      –      –      –      7
6. research Question   –      –      –      –      –      –      8
7. Definition of Terms –      –      –      –      –      –      10

References      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      11

CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review    –      –      –      –      –      –      –      12

References      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      29

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODLOGY

3.1 Research Design –    –      –      –      –      –      –      31

3.2 Methods of Data Collection –   –      –      –      –      31

3.3 Sample Size     –      –      –      –      –      –      –      32    

3.4 sampling techniques        –      –      –      –      –      –      33

3.5 data analysis techniques  –      –      –      –      –      33

References      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      35                                             

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

4.1 Data Presentation    –      –      –      –      –      –      36

4.2 data Analysis    –      –      –      –      –      –      –      36

4.3 Research Findings    –      –      –      –      –      –      40

      References             –      –      –      –      –      –      –      41

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Summary  –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      42

5.2 Recommendations    –      –      –      –      –      –      43

5.3 Conclusion –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      45

      Bibliography     –      –      –      –      –      –      –      47

      Appendix  –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      49

Questionnaire  –      –      –      –      –      –      –      –      50

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Ethnicism in Nigerian politics according to analysts dates back to the colonial politics of “divide and rule”. This was later reinforced by the 1954 McPherson constitution which has regionalism as its operational model.

Emphasizing this ethnicity in Nigerian politics has its genesis in British colonial politics which through the obvious divide and rule policy encouraged the use of different application of colonial’s politics on the traditional institutions and structures of the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. With it’s over 120,000,000 people (UN estimates) and over 250 tribe, Nigeria is a land of great climatic territorial and ethnic variety. From the four hundred miles long coast of tangled swamp and mangrove, a bell of dense rain forest ran in hand to a depth of between a hundred and a hundred fifty miles. This area known as southern Nigeria was split into Eastern and western parts at lokoja.

In the western part of south, the predominant group was the Yoruba, a people with a long history of highly developed kingdoms because of the British penetration through Lagos, it was acclaimed that western culture first reached Yoruba and the other tribes of the west.

Similarly, in the eastern part of the south lived a variety of peoples, predominant among them are the Igbos who are found on both banks of the Niger, but mainly east of the Ironically, in view of their later rapid development and progress which finally enabled then to overtake the other ethnic groups in Nigeria in terms of European styled development, the Igbos were formally regarded as being the most background of the major ethnic groups in the earliest part of the 20^th century.

In the other hand, north of the Niger River lay the forest line and woodland, varying into savannah grass and prairie (wide area of land with grass but not dress) and finally to semi-desert and scrub. Along the southern fringes of these enormous areas runs the middle belt, inhabited by numerous non Hausa people mainly pagan and in the words of Frederick Forst “the animist in religion” were believed to be vassals of the Hausa/Fulani Empire. The north proper was the land of the Hausa, the Kanuri and the Fulani, the later having originally come from the south Sahara in conquest bringing with them Islamic religion. The afore mentioned three ethnic groups (Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba) found in the east, west and north respectively form the biggest and major ethnic group in Nigeria.