Nigeria's ethnicity (Essay Sample)

How have ethnic differences made the establishment of democracy so difficult in Nigeria?  What, if anything, can be done about this? Ethnicity has been entrenched in Nigeria’s political history since they had independence, it has clearly served as the groundwork of many issues the country currently faces. The first attempt the of democracy the Republic of Nigeria attempted was in 1965. There were three main parties namely Nigeria Peoples’ Congress, National Council of Nigerian Citizens, and the Action Group. All these parties were ethnically formed with each comprising of politicians from specific regions of the country. However, the British colonialism played a role in separating the country into ethnic groups. The same practices were passed on to the second and third attempts. The military usually takes over as fighting usually erupts during each election as every ethnical group wants their leader to occupy the main seat and are willing to do anything to realize the goal. That has led to at least five military coups which aim at stabilizing the country (Ethnic Conflict and Democracy in Nigeria: The Marginalisation Question, 2017). Ethnicity differences are a plague to Nigeria as they are not limited to a specific age group like in some countries, both young and old people are divided. In 2011, the vote outcome clearly showed that each candidate scored over 95% of votes in their regions. This proves that most people vote with the bias of choosing a leader who associates with them ethnically. Analysts concluded that most of the population in Nigeria is the assumption that their personal and national destiny is directly influenced by a person’s ethnicity be it tribal or religious. Thus, the political party that wins the election is inclined to particular ethnic groups translating to developments and improvements geared to an ethnic group. Democracy is a system in which every citizen feels that their needs are represented in the ruling government. issues such as corruption, employment, and justice are among the key factors that demonstrate that governments are representing their citizens. Tradition in Nigeria stands against accusing or exposing a fellow ethnicity group member for corruption which leads to the misuse of national resources. No one accounts for the latter as no evidence is brought forward due to ethnical ties. Employment is guaranteed to people of the same backgrounds which makes other citizens subject to unfair unemployment. Therefore, a part of the population as resources to improve their lives while the other is in poverty barely surviving. The situation translates to the people suffering voting for a person of their ethnic background so that he or she can enable them to get employed or a source of income. Tradition prohibits judges to prosecute people from their ethnical backgrounds thereby guilty people walk free without conviction (Townsend, 2017). Ethnicity is the root cause of divides thereby limiting the extent of democracy in Nigeria, therefore, the solution lies in eliminating the vice and factors that contribute to the same. The existing government should practice equity when distributing resources in the states or provinces. They should focus on the general development of the country rather than their ethnic regions. If the people are empowered financially, they are likely to vote for people based on their leadership rather than voting for a fellow tribesman to increase their chances of getting money. The current population needs to adapt nationalism not loyalty to a state. This way when choosing a leader or making decisions, one does not reflect on the consequence to the state rather he or she judges from a nationalist perspective. When nationalism is adapted, it will reduce instances of corruption and possibly enhance the impartiality of the ju...