CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation-state, and there are cultural variances amongst all of its constituent ethnic groups as a result of their various socio-cultural differences. Language, nutrition, clothes, and the type of social system are only a few examples of the cultural distinctions that have been made visible by these cultural variances. The ethnic virus has been one of the main sources of social unrest and political unrest in Nigeria, and ethnicity has generally been seen as a significant barrier to the country's overall socio-political  development.

Without a doubt, Nigeria is a nation blessed with abundant natural and human resources, but ironically, the same nation has evolved into a hotbed of unfair government policies, injustice, overt corruption, social decay, poverty, etc., where ethnicity has permeated every aspect of Nigerian life and more essentially determines who gets what, when, and how (Lassswell,1950). The 1967–1970 Civil War in Nigeria has been attributed to ethnicity, as have rigged and unsuccessful elections, as well as the manipulation of census data, which is only explicable from an ethnic perspective.

Brown (2013) Explain how the restructuring, creation of political parties, allocation of human and material resources, and even crises (coups, civil wars, and religious impasses) in Nigeria's socio-political system are dependent on ethno-religious politics. It is a truth that Nigeria is a multiethnic state with disparities in its sociopolitical and economic growth, all of which have led to conflicts and counterconflicts, without any kind of discrimination.

Despite the age of globalisation, ethnic diversity in Nigeria has steadily grown. This is obviously due to the fact that different ethnic groups live lifestyles that are centred on their ethnic identities, which contributes to the difficulties in developing sociopolitical and economic policies that are consistently informed. Due to the political struggle between ethnic groups competing for political relevance, influence, and the income that comes with it, numerous sociopolitical and economic problems associated with ethnicity still exist in the country.

In Nigeria's political system, ethnic politics has been a regular, if not perpetual, phenomenon. Therefore, ethnicity is central to politics; without it, one may unlikely to be politically influential. You either belong to the mainstream of ethnic politics or you do not. In essence, your ethnic group matters more than your political party. With three main ethnic groupings, Nigeria is undoubtedly a society that is extremely divided (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa/Fulani).

Since then, Nigeria's sociopolitical structure has been shaped along these racial lines. However, this does not imply that Nigeria is devoid of other ethnic groups. A political arrangement that specifies that if the Hausa/Fulani from the north produce the president in a specific political dispensation, the next must come from the southern Yoruba and Igbo is now being used.

The majority ethnic groups in the south were pitted against the minority ethnic groups in the zone because this arrangement (which is not stated in Nigeria's constitution) did not identify which part of the south. This guides all sociopolitical and economic policy responses to the problems caused by racial diversity in the nation, including, for example, power-sharing arrangements and quotas in the educational system.

Nigeria is still looking for a new political system at the age of 63. Due to the dominance of ethnicity, religion, and politics, which have a negative impact on Nigeria's progress as a nation and the survival of democratic rule, it is hard to fully realise this goal. In a diverse country like Nigeria, federalism is likely the best structure for addressing ethnic, cultural, and religious heterogeneity. Such a framework permits each state or region to manage its resources and advance at its own pace..

Nigeria, on the other hand, acts in opposition to what it claims to be a federal system of government and does not take into account the identities, interests, or needs of its citizens, particularly its minorities. The constitution of the country does not reflect popular sentiment, and the majority of government actions are anti-citizen and do not promote national integration and cohesiveness (Ilesanmi, 2014). The Nigerian government continues to be disengaged from acting in its citizens' best interests. The powerful people who developed enormous patronage networks during the military era and who now utilise political position to grow these networks and their personal wealth control politics at the federal, state, and local levels of the Nigerian federation.

Furthermore, many of these so-called 'godfathers' have been cultivating, sparking a local arms race in some areas despite the fact that several governors are being investigated at home and others are being indicted for money laundering abroad. The bonanza keeps going at public coffers for these power brokers, while basic socio-political development in many parts of the country is still as deteriorated as it was during military rule. (Kew, 2006 cited in Fagbadebo, 2007).

The national politics has become overheated due to the struggle for social and political power and control at the national level. This unneeded tension has led to intolerance across and among regions. These same politicians recruit and arm political thugs, who ultimately lose control of the thugs and turn their weapons against helpless citizens (Ilesanmi, 2014).

Since its beginning, the contemporary social and democratic system has been plagued by unheard-of vice disturbances and social unrest that have caused extensive property damage and fatalities. These upheavals pose a severe threat to national security because of their religious and ethnic components. National progress and the democratic process are not supported by the tension and uncertainty currently present in the nation. Nigeria has recently experienced numerous violent outbursts and widespread insecurity in almost all of the states of the federation.

The most notable of these is Boko Haram, which has been linked to the north and south of Nigeria's political competition for control of the country's socio political power. It is important to understand that the sudden and seeming appearance of the Boko Haram group at this time in the nation's history is an attempt to undermine both the Jonathan Administration and the equilibrium that the government has brought about in the country. (Ogoloma, 2012).

 Militia organisations also occur in all geopolitical zones, along with kidnapping and all kinds of diseases. This has led to numerous bloodbaths, senseless killings, property devastation, social upheaval, and the accompanying poverty, insecurity, and unemployment (Ilesanmi, 2014).

This is why Ogbulafor (2000) estimated that more than 70% of Nigerians are affected by poverty. Only in Nigeria do you find political and military leaders who lack the knowledge, vision, and skills needed to create a favourable socioeconomic and political climate. Some of them and their allies have sponsored most crises and conflicts rather than seeing themselves as champions of world peace and national advancement. Even worse, ethnicity is a factor in all political activity in Nigeria.

It stands out in areas like voting, the distribution of political posts, employment, and general public favouritism of the government (Awoniyi, 2015).

 Today's political leaders and, sadly, the so-called clergy of Christianity and Islam have overused and abused ethnicity to the point where it has continued to spark conflicts around the globe. Nigeria is one of several nations that have experienced the brutal murder and mutilation of innocent people by Islamic and ethinic fanatics (Gbadegesin & Adeyemi-Adejolu, 2016). Therefore this study centres on the impact of ethnicity on the socio-political settings of nigeria: issues and challenges

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Every society's politics and other facets are greatly influenced by ethnicity as a determining factor. Political elites frequently use ethnicity in Nigerian politics to further their goals, which has hampered the country's sociopolitical and economic development. The North and South's fight for power was fueled by economic and political stagnation, which created an environment that allowed for confrontation between them (Anifowose, 2011).

From another angle, Nigeria has seen ethnic conflict ever since it gained its independence. Nevertheless, politics at the national level were severely polarised along regional and ethnic fault lines, which slowed down any socio-political initiatives to advance the country. Leading ethnic groups had become parochial in their development efforts due to fundamental disparities in values, which had harmed the entire country (Odeyemi, 2014).

As observed by Umezinwa (2013) Nigeria is unable to generate the appropriate leaders who live honourably, exude flawless character, and are willing to sacrifice for the country's growth due to the intensity of its interethnic conflict. These leaders have not been able to emerge because of ethnicity. Every election, the focus has been on the candidates' backgrounds rather than whether they are the best candidates for the job.

 This explains why there are so many persons in the National Assembly who are not representing the interests of the country or of their own ethnic communities. The fundamental relevance of identity in Nigerian politics resides in the fact that it has an impact on global affairs and international relations on a spectrum ranging from conflict to collaboration.

There is a natural propensity to overemphasise the conflict-generating impacts of negative identity due to its malfunctioning or destabilising influence. This method works well for emphasising what on the surface seems to be the more important identity characteristics, but it frequently overlooks the positive identity's capacity to foster cooperation. It is important to keep in mind that, in addition to being a component of global politics, identity also possesses transformative capacity. (Call, 2018).

The causes and motivators for the rise of ethnic politics include long-standing conflicts for recognition and control of resources and power, unrecognised historical grievances, unresolved land disputes, inherent biological prejudices, religious passion, and unexpected memory lapses (Barbero, 2002).

People can reaffirm their ownership and belonging—or lack thereof—through ethnic politics, although identities have typically been utilised negatively by colonial powers and ruling elites in the postcolonial state. Nigeria's political and social growth has been hampered by ethnicity, which has also given rise to nepotism, violent conflicts, and political confrontations amongst ethnic groupings. Reexamining ethnicity would help us fully understand the impact of ethnic political practises as significant drivers to political conflict in Nigeria. These are issues that require urgent attention. Additionally, the relationship between ethnicity and political disputes has not been adequately studied by studies on ethnicity.. Based on the above and as far as this research is concerned, no study has talked about ethnicity as potent contributor of political and social problems in Nigeria. This gap in research is what this study intends to fill.

1.3 AIMS OF THE STUDY

The major purpose of this study is to examine the Impact of Ethnicity on the Socio-Political Settings of Nigeria: Issues and Challenges. Other general objectives of the study are:

1 To outline the factors that amplified ethnicity and ethnic politics in Nigeria

2 To examine the impact of ethnicity on socio political development of Nigeria

3 To examine the consequences of ethnicity and its effect on socio political development of Nigeria

4 To determine the challenge of ethnicity in socio-political development of Nigeria

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1 What are the factors that amplified ethnicity and ethnic politics in Nigeria?

2 what is the impact of ethnicity on socio political development of Nigeria?

3 what are the consequences of ethnicity and its effect on socio political development of Nigeria?

4 what is the challenge of ethnicity in socio-political development of Nigeria?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Hypothesis 1

H0: There is no significant influence of ethnicity on socio-political development of Nigeria

H1: There is a significant influence of ethnicity on socio-political development of Nigeria Hypothesis 2

H0: There is no significant relationship between ethnicity and socio-political development of  Nigeria

H1: There is a significant relationship between ethnicity and socio-political development of Nigeria

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The issue of politics and ethnic conflict has been a major obstacle to the eradicative of a stable Nigeria.  As our problem of statement has emphasized there is urgently of the need to address the issue of ethnicity to avert further disaster. The relevance of this work is that it unveils the implication of class struggle in fermentation ethnic conflict should start seeing themselves as one indivisible nation that should be fighting for development of the ruling class in fighting for development of the ruling class in causing confusion in the nation.  This work will also contributes to the various writings e,g journals and textbooks that have been highlighting on the dangers of ethnic crisis and how to handle it finally, it will help policy makers in the country and the world over to know the root cause of ethnic conflict, so as to explore strategies by which the negative effects of ethnicity could be mitigated in the future. Thus making lasting policies that will obliterate ethnic chauvinism and its consequent effect on national stability and development. Thus this study will help the Nigerian government and students in further research

1.7    SCOPE OF THE STUDY 

The study is based on politics, ethnicity and the 2015 presidential election, a case study of Edo state.

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY                         

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Ethnicity: is a shared cultural heritage. People define themselves or others as members of an ethnic category based on having common ancestors, language, or religion that confers a distinctive social identity.

SOCIO-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT: