Publisher's Synopsis
This book is an in-depth study of the ethnic phenomenon in Nigeria between 1900 and 1994. It emphasizes the dynamic character of ethnicity and its complex links with the cultural, political, economic and social dimensions of national development. The author underlines the critical role of the Nigerian state and its partisan character in the evolution of ethnicity on national development. The links between ethnicity and religion are specifically explored, as are the links between dictatorship and ethnicity. - - In the search for solutions to the ethnic problems of Nigeria, the book reviews the existing policies. It argues that these policies are fundamentally flawed. Instead, the book suggests deconcentration and decentralization of state power, together with democratization as the best ways of combating ethnic conflicts and the negative impacts of ethnicity on development.
