Ethnicity, bane of Nigeria’s development –Falola
Ethnicity, bane of Nigeria’s development –Falola
August 18, 2015 : Charles Abah 0 Comments
Prof. Toyin Falola
Notable
historian, Prof. Toyin Falola, has warned that Nigeria will not develop
fully with the continued sentiment its citizens attach ethnicity.
According to Falola, ethnicity has become “a well-entrenched bias” expressed by many Nigerians.
Falola, who teaches History at the
University of Texas, United States, stated this while delivering the
50th anniversary lecture of the History department of the University of
Lagos.
In a paper entitled “Ethnicity: Its Organ
and Intestine”, the academic noted that ethnicity had become embedded
in the psyches of Nigerians that it would be difficult to wipe it out
from their consciousness.
An average Nigerian, according to him, sees himself more as first belonging to his ethnic cleavage before being a Nigerian.
The historian, who said that the
development was affecting the nation’s development negatively, noted
that it had also affected its resource distribution and power equation.
He
added, “In Nigeria, contestation for power by political gladiators in
the nation’s political space has further accentuated the problem
associated with ethnicity. The choice made by voters is mainly driven by
the concern for how a given political party will serve the interest of a
given ethnic nationality rather than the collective good of Nigeria.
This trend presupposes that the electorate will most likely form,
organise and identify with any political platform that tends to
accentuate and perpetuate their quest to dominate others.”
The Head of the department, Prof.
Olufunke Adeboye, who spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the
lecture, noted that the department had, in the last 50 years, adapted to
the reality of global trends in carrying out its mandate.
She said, “You don’t expect that we have
to be where we were 50 years ago today. We have adapted to the reality
of global trends in the way we carry out our mandate. For instance, we
had to change the name of the department from being Department of
History to Department of History and Strategic Studies to cope with
global trends which emphasis the need to bring a diverse focus to the
study of history.
“Owing to the improvement in the course
module for the areas of studies that we have had to focus on, the
calibre of students that come to study here range from security agents
to policy makers who have fund the courses very attractive thus
enriching the pool of our alumni base.”
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