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Kelechi C. Nwogu - Research Assistant
Kelechi
C. Nwogu holds the Bachelors Degree (B.SC) Hons, in Political
Science from the University of Abuja and is currently pursuing
Masters Degree (M.SC) in Political Science with specialization in
International Relations at the University of Lagos, Akoka. He is
with the Division of International Politics, in the Department of
Research and Studies of NIIA where he is currently Research
Assistant. He has written scholarly articles amongst which are :The
Beijing Declaration: Equality of Economic Access for Women in
Nigeria, The United Nation and Imperative for Global Security, and
The Economic and Financial Crimes in Nigeria: An Over View . His
other areas of academic interest are comparative politics and
development studies.
Contact:
kcnwogu@yahoo.co.uk;
knwogu@niianet.org
The current
research project of Nwogu is
The Impact of Ethnicity on Political Participation
and Nation Building in Nigeria:
In Nigeria some of the critical issues that have affected political
participation in Nigeria and which in turn have reflected on aspects
of the country’s crisis of democracy and nation building include
ethno-national identity of political platforms and their loss of
ideology. They also include lack of understanding or commitment to
the principle and functions of an opposition as well as the
inability of the political elites to consciously strive to build a
Nigerian nation. Yet, there is a strong feeling in Nigeria that
political platforms must be national, rather than locally based.
Those who espouse the philosophy of national structures argue that
this is the only way of ensuring full representation and
participation of all sections of the country at the central level of
the country’s polity and governance. In spite of this, it has hardly
been possible to determine how truly national parties could be
organized in Nigeria. Some have advocated a one-party or even
no-party government as the solution. At the same time, advocates of
multi-party democracy have continued to maintain very strong views
that multi-party arrangement is the best option that can guarantee
durable political participation and nation building. This study
intends to critically examine the opportunities and hindrances in
Nigeria’s post-independence democratic experience and political
participation that has been greatly influenced by ethno-national
considerations. On the whole, it seeks to show that ethno-national
platforms have increased in Nigeria with negative impacts on the
socio-economic and political circumstances of Nigerians thereby
hampering the process of nation building. |
