EKWE JONAL

Nigeria by its composition is undoubtedly a nation comprising of multi-ethnic groups and therefore, in the face of competition for scarce resource, ethnicity obviously is going to be encountered. Ethnicity in Nigeria is rooted in the fact that Nigerians have since the amalgamation in 1914 been forced out of their familiar linguistic, social, political, and cultural units, and brought face to face, with others whose ways of life appear to constitute mutual threat. The root of ethnicity is fear, that is fear of the unknown; fear of losing the predictability of one’s way of behaving which one’s already acquired attitudes and values have guaranteed; fear of having one’s established and cherished values changed or destroyed; fear of competition for scarce resources; fear of domination by privileged groups/minorities; fear of loss of control, etc. these fears keep social and psychological distances wide, too wide for a feeling of Nigerianness to be easily created. Nevertheless, Nigerians can derive formidable social, political, economic and psychological strength from this collection of ethnic groups if their perceptions are not dominated by prejudice. One group that can have a significant role in this is social workers. Social work is described as the profession that helps society work better for people and helps them function better within society. This paper argues that treating citizens unequally on the basis of ethnicity is anti-developmental and a major problem in Nigeria. It has caused resentment among marginalized ethnic groups, fuelled conflicts and sometimes wars, and discouraged investments, retarding growth and development prospects. 

Open Full Text (PDF)