The Contribution of Ethnicity to National Integration and Development in Nigeria

The multi-ethnic nature of Nigeria has often been cited as one of the factors responsible for its lack of unity and underdevelopment. This has been the case because ethnic consid-erations and affinities have often been used to determine who has access to or benefit from government facilities or appointments. Competitive ethnicity is the cause for bad governance, conflicts and lack of positive development in some African countries including Nigeria. The paper argues that multi-ethnic nature of most African nations has rich resources which could contribute to good governance if properly harnessed. It examines some of the good aspects of ethnicity that can be encouraged for national development. It concludes that ethnicity is natural and that there are some positive aspects that are profit-able for national development.