Democracy and the Challenge of Ethno-Nationalism in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: Interrogating Institutional Mechanics
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Nigeria is an amalgam of rival ethnic groups pitched against each other in a contest for
power and resources that have reflected in the political processes, sometimes threatening the
corporate existence of the country. Right from the constitutional conferences organized
during the colonial era down to the ones organized after independence, the question of an
acceptable system of co-existence has been contentious. However, the intervention of the
military in the political affairs of the country and their long duration in governance, succeeded
in abating the full manifestation of ethno-nationalism. But the return of the country to
democracy in 1999 has enabled the suppressed ethno-national grievances to explode,
throwing up issues beyond the capacities of democratic institutions. It has become a threat to
the survival of the country's nascent democracy and its corporate existence. As a result, the
democratic government is resorting to the tactics of previous military administrations in the
management of these problems. This paper examines the State’s response to an emboldened
ethno-nationalism and its implications on the process of democratisation.