THE STATE, THE ECONOMY, ORDER AND SECURITY IN NIGERIA: THE SOLUTION TO THE ROOTS OF ETHNO-RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS

EDITH UZOMA ITEOGU

Abstract


The primordialism of ethno-religious identity in Nigeria's political system is as old as the country's creation that has created an 'epidemic of hate' between the various tribes and religious sects, culminating into conflicts, which have generated insecurity, uprooted lives, destroyed communities and reversed years of progress and sustainable human development. Through secondary data, the paper takes a dialectical view of the evolution, growth and expansion of ethno-religious attachments and the anomic political engineering for nation-building. Our findings have inter-alia being that, the explanation of crises of identity and religion in Nigeria lies in the very foundation (economy) of social life and the character of the state arising there from. In the final analysis, we advocate among other things, economic and state-centered approach towards addressing the problems of ethnic and religious jingoism, which have caused more harm than good in the country's search for democratic governance

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