Nigeria: A Tug of War

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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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