ETHNICITY AND QUEST FOR POWER IN NIGERIA'S DEMOCRACY: CHALLENGES TO PATRIOTISM AND NATIONAL INTEGRATION

Nigeria is a country with diverse ethnic groups of up to about 300 to 370 and a population of more than 170 million people today. Nigeria, with a flourishing democratic governance spanning fifteen years remains the most lucrative avenue for fanning embers of ethnicity in the struggle for power and politics both at the lowest and highest positions. The state is thrown up in intense competition by political office seekers and holders. This is orchestrated by interethnic group rivalry, unpatriotic utterances and accusations by party stalwarts and leaders on one ethnic group or another. This intense competition by the ethnic groups for state power continues to threaten national integration and the survival of the democratic process. The paper examines influence of ethnicity in the struggle for political power in Nigeria's democracy from 2011 - date, and its effect on patriotism and national integration. The paper uses data from secondary sources such as journals, books, national and international reports, magazines, conference and seminar reports and government reports, and it is basically descriptive. The paper found that the new democratic leaders in Nigeria deliberately encourage ethnicity and ethnic identity in their struggle for power. It is also found that political leaders encourage ethnic militias and militant organizations in their struggle to maintain power and resources, and jeopardize national integration. The Nigerian democratic governance is found to be wasteful, unproductive and contribute pains and misery for the greater majority of people, while it contributes to the increasing affluence of the relative few along ethnic lines. This paper concludes that the modus operandi of Nigerian democracy is geared towards politicizing ethnic, religious and linguistic differences which makes the Nigerian polity a simmering cauldron of un-resolved tension and threat to national integration. The paper recommends the need for recourse to true democratic ideals and the need to reverse the influence of long years of military rule. The politicians should encourage good governance, equity and justice, as well as provide level playing grounds for political office seekers in the local government, state and national level. Both the political parties and other institutions of governance, should promote ideas that will strengthen national integration and patriotism to the state and the country at large.