Colonial Heritage and Nigeria's Struggle for Nationhood
Date
2017
Authors
Ogunjewo, H.B.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Lagos
Abstract
The complexity of the Nigerian state in the structure inherited from colonial adventure has constituted a serious source of concern in her quest and struggle for nationhood. While some of the current struggles may be traced to and blamed on colonial heritage, some others even though propelled by colonialism should have been properly addressed and taken care of in Nigeria's fifty-five years of independence. The culture of blaming every lapse and every hurdle on Nigeria's road to nationhood on the colonial phenomenon is default. The recent resuscitation of the struggle and agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra after Fifty-Five years of independence and Forty-Five years of the end of Nigeria's civil war is a clear indication of Nigeria's very long road to nationhood. This agitation is compounded by the raging onslaught of the Boko Haram terror group which has not only threatened the security of the nation but has also decimated her sovereignty and punctuated her drive into nationhood. The strategies and struggles to weld over 250 ethnic groups into nationhood has been an uphill task handed down by the colonial masters. Every successive indigenous government's efforts to inoculate the nation against disunity and despondency with corresponding strategies to foster the spirit of unity and oneness in nation building have had minimal impact on the overall efforts at nationhood and nation building. The tree to keep Nigeria "One" has been watered by the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and if necessary strategies of nationhood are not adequately deployed, and necessary care is not taken, "many more will have to suffer". Nationhood begins with the promotion of national integration among the numerous constituent tribes before advancement into other strategies of development and industrialization aimed at transforming the nation into a functional society with equal opportunities for all. This paper submits that though the Colonial heritage of the nation Nigeria has had tremendous impact on the struggles for nationhood, some of these challenges should have been adequately addressed in fifty-five years of independence. These struggles which range from sovereignty, to geography, to identity and the struggle for power and resources among others should have been reduced drastically by successive administrations since independence. This paper presents unity and cohesion as a fundamental requirement as well as an integral part of nation building and nationhood. Indeed, the unity of a (any) nation despite her heterogeneity and diversity is a critical underlying principle and foundation for a lasting and progressive journey into nationhood. It undertakes a historical examination and analysis of the colonial legacies in the various aspects of Nigerians lives and as well as the efforts and strategies engaged or adopted by the various governments and leaders to extricate the colonial legacy challenge from the nation's desperate march into nationhood. It analyses the Legacies of Identity and Geography, Political, Domestic, Military, Socio-Cultural, Economic and Commonwealth Legacy while analysing the limitations and hurdles in the process of the transforming the different components of the nation into a formidable, cohesive and progressive entity where every citizen will be proud of the corporate identity.
Description
Scholarly Article
Keywords
Boko Haram , Heterogeneity , Nationhood , Colonial Heritage , Research Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION::History and philosophy subjects
Citation
Ogunjewo, H.B. (2017). Colonial Heritage and Nigeria's Struggle for Nationhood. A Journal of the Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos Lagos. Vol. 23, 2017. pp 188-215.