Introduction
The Federation of Nigeria has never been a homogenous country. Nigeria is a country with a daunting history. On October 1, 1960 the populous country of Nigeria, having the largest landmass of the West African states, gained its independence (Metz, 1991). Nigeria is a country of “great diversity,” due to various amounts of the ethnic groups (See Society and Culture p5).There are more than 250 ethnic groups that are influenced by politics and popularity. Nigeria’s history dates back to 1914, when it was just a colony under the British rule (Schwarz, 1965).
The road to independence for Nigeria has been filled with strife and turmoil, since colonized by the British in the1800s. Nigeria is a product of Great Britain’s imperialistic views. The British contributed to the structure and how Nigeria is governed today. Before independence, the European slave trade (fifteenth century) impacted Nigeria significantly, (See p.4 table 1). A desire for gold and profit, in 1807, Britain declares the slave trade to be illegal (Matthews, 2002). During this time, the British realized that they could take advantage of Nigeria’s natural resources and treasures.
Meanwhile, banning the Slave trade, European missionaries began to spread the Gospel of the Christian faith and Western philosophy. But the Islamic teaching made its way in to Nigeria, as well (Matthews, 2002). The tensions between the two were contentious, that it triggered the jihad, or holy war (See Society and Culture p5). The religion tensions have ascended more today than ever before. What will happen if this tension is hyperbolized? Will these two major religions ever come to a compromise? Many questions have surfaced from this conflict alone.
Nigeria has a multiplicity...
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Unfortunately, that can overshadow the grim reminder of their culture essentially being snatched from them. New schools and products have modernized Nigeria into a world power, but the price of this success was conformity to European (and especially British) customs. The Britons’ goal was simply bringing both positive and negative change to this nation. Through Chinua Achebe’s novel and countless Internet sources, the complexity of the relationship between Great Britain and Nigeria is fully revealed. Influence is powerful, but at what
Osagie, E., Ph.D. (Presenter). (1999, December 10). Benin in Contemporary Nigeria an Agenda for the 21st Century. Lecture presented at Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, Benin City, Benin.
"Untouchability in Nigeria | International Humanist and Ethical Union." International Humanist and Ethical Union | The World Union of Humanist Organizations. Web. 08 Apr. 2010. .
New Imperialism disrupted the organic growth of the African continent by forcefully claiming the territory of indigenous people, exploiting their land and natural resources, and imposing slavery among other exploitative institutions - for the sole purpose of economic prosperity of the colonizer. The conception of Nigeria is purely British, before the Scramble for Africa in 1881 the continent was made up of dispersed nation states that had existed for centuries undisturbed by external actors. Imperialist powers created arbitrary borders within the continent that did not account for the cultural and ethnic make-up of these indigenous nation states (Ifejika and Nwankwo
The prior history of Nigeria before the 1900’s is critical in exploring the effects of colonialism. During the pre-colonial era, Nigeria was mainly divided into three tribes: Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa Fulani. A female’s role differed according to kinship structure of the tribe and the status of the woman in the economy. Neither new nor peculiar, women have long been regarded as the “subordinate” class in Nigerian culture. Nigerian women were able to achieve high statuses by lineage or marrying into ruling class families. Under customary laws, a woman’s purpose was to be fertile and able to bear children. Tribes expected their women to marry into Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa Fulani patri-lineage and bear sons to guarantee the future of the tribe. A wife’s position improved as she gave birth to more children and gain approval from elder members. Women who could not were scorned just as Mama wa...
...’s depictions of both traditional and modern beliefs in varying degrees illustrate the importance of both in contemporary Nigerian culture, as well as the greater Africa as a whole, and how both are intertwined and cannot exist without the other. In effect, she skillfully subverts stereotypes or single perceptions of Africa as backward and traditional, proving instead, the multifaceted culture of Africa. She further illustrates that neither traditional African nor western culture is necessarily detrimental. It is the stark contrast of the fundamental cultures that inevitably leads to clashes and disagreements. In the end, what holds African countries such as Nigeria together is their shared pride. Modern, western influences can bring positive changes to society, but new cultures cannot completely eradicate the foundational cultures to which a society is founded on.
In African context, Nigeria presents the largest concentration of everything that is traditionally African from tourism, traditions, customs and belief respectively. To elucidate this point, Ghanaian American writer Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah points out:
Immediately after landing in Nigeria, I noticed how disparate this nation was compared to the United States. Many young children were on the streets trying to sell merchandise to make ends meet. Growing up in the United States, I occasionally saw people - always adults - begging, but never young children. What struck me the most was a young boy, wearing a ripped soccer jersey and no shoes, try to sell me water saying, “Mmiri, mmiri maka ire ere,” which, in Igbo, simply means “Water, water for sale.” Immediately I gave what I could
Nigeria is a constitutional republic in West Africa. The majority of its citizens are Muslim (50.5%) and Christians (48.2%), the rest belongs to other smaller local religions. Because of this major diversity in the religious viewpoints many of the citizens in the Nigeria does not identify themselves as people
Nigeria became an area of slave trade for the British Empire in about 1807, but they did not officially make it a colony until the 20th century. The British created Nigeria for the sole purpose of revenue; it is an “artificial country…the colonial borders enclosed more than 250 ethnic groups that has never been ru...
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
Nigeria was colonized by the world leader at the time; Britain, and was claimed as a colony in 1914. Although both Britain and the Royal Niger Company had been claiming parts of Nigeria as a protectorate, their control over Nigeria was achieved through both peace treaties and military actions. Europe didn’t officially recognize Britain’s control over Nigeria until after the Berlin Conference which gave Britain full right to Nigeria, and Britain hastened to forcefully control the area after civil war in Nigeria over the slave-trade threatened to disrupt their interests. Britain was interested in the palm-oil trade of Nigeria, which was controlled by The Royal Niger Company along the Niger river. Once Britain claimed Nigeria, it set about
According to Samuels in Case Studies in Comparative Politics, Nigeria began as a group of states and empires, which were conquered by the British Empire who ruled Nigeria through indirect rule with varying degrees of rule in North and South Nigeria (Samuels, 323-326). Since they were granted independence in 1960, three republics have been created and each has ended by military rule, which led to the creation of the fourth, and current republic in Nigeria. In the current regime Nigeria’s GDP is ranked 108 of 156 and has been decreasing, lower than some of the non oil-producing nations in Africa (“Nigeria”).
In conclusion Nigeria has never been able to sustain a legitimate democracy. The legacies of British colonialism have created unstable political institutions that have been extremely susceptible to military coups. While ethnic tensions have lead to political party association and corruption, rent-seekers and continual economic decline have decreased support for the government. Although recently Nigeria has seen a shift away from military control as people have recognized its unsuccessfulness, questions still remain about the new democracy. Consider the last time this type of democracy was established, it only lasted four years. Given all these factors and the military history of OlusgunObasanjo, it is no wonder the new democracy is considered fragile.
Okeke, Phil E. "Reconfiguring Tradition: Women's Rights and Social Status in Contemporary Nigeria." Africa Today 47.1 (2000): 49-63.