National Identity Crisis And Socio-Economic Development In Nigeria, 1999-2017
Miria Ushang EJIM
Department of Political Science, Rivers State University, Nkpolu- Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
DAVIES, Emmanuel Opuene
Department of Political Science, Rivers State University, Nkpolu- Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Keywords: Nation Identity, NATIONAL IDENTITY CRISIS, OCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, root causes of the national identity crisis, character of the national identity crisis in Nigeria, unmanaged identity crisis engender development in Nigeria, • The Political Economy Approach, Basis for National Identity
Abstract
This study examined the nexus between national identity crisis and socio economic development in Nigeria. This is against the background of the increasing disarticulation in the loyal relationship between the citizens and the state as well as the latter's persistent ranking among the poorest countries of the world, its rich natural endowments notwithstanding. Three research questions were posed and analysed using the statistical tool of simple percentages while two research hypotheses were raised and tested with the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient at 5% significance level. Using the Descriptive Analytical methodology, the study relied on both the primary and secondary data. 3,600 copies of a questionnaire titled national identity Crisis and Development in Nigeria (NICDIN) were administered in the six geo-political zones of the country using a combination of the random and purposive sampling methods to select the study areas. The study adopted the Marxian Political Economy theoretical framework, which explains social phenomena from the standpoints of dialectics and class relations. It explained the prevailing disarticulation in the loyal relationship between the people and the nation as part of an on-going dialectical process with the potentials of evolving a new socio-economic order with a more equitable resource distribution system. The major finding of this work is that the National Identity Crisis, rooted in the economic alienation of the masses by the ruling class is a product of the failure of the state in its contractual obligation to its citizens and a major contributor to the nation's underdevelopment. The work, therefore, recommends that effective management of the crisis, through affirmative action by the state and the pursuit of distributive justice policies will enhance the people's sense of ownership of the country and by extension, reignite the 'we' feeling among the nation's identity-entities. These will promote their collective commitment to the cause of the nation and engender the much needed development