Nigeria: Nationalism and Nation-Building

Nationalism is a political development that emerged since the latter years of the 18th century. 
It has since then undergone several stages and blazed a trail of sweeping changes in the history of the world. In 19th century Europe, it stimulated radical political developments that affected adversely the political map of that continent. Big nation states like Germany and Italy were formed in that century through unification of their respective peoples by their leaders who were spurred by the spirit of nationalism. There were cases of revolts accompanied with a sense of nationalism by smaller nationalities fighting against their imperial overlords. By the early years of the 20th century, one of these revolts caused the world to fight its first general war.

Nationalism breeds feelings of pride and love for one's fatherland. It energizes a strong spirit of patriotism and loyalty and it serves as a tool used in achieving political freedom and independence. It enhances the sustenance of the collective will by the people of a state to achieve and maintain a lead over others. In the early years of the 20th century, a sense of nationalism arose in many parts of Africa. Political organizations were formed to provide platforms for nationalist movements that fought against colonial rule. In the 1920s, Nigerians began to be politically conscious and the spirit of nationalism was awakened in various parts of the country. By the 1930s and 1940s, significant achievements were made by Nigerian nationalists who were agitating against colonial rule. Their efforts led to political developments that gave Nigeria independence in 1960.

Since independence, Nigeria has been saddled with a lot of problems associated with nation-building. A lot of people hold the opinion that Nigeria is not a nation-state. It is pertinent, however to stress that the country can attain cohesiveness by taking advantage of its multi-national dimensions and become one of the best examples of harmonious co-existence of peoples with different nationalist background.
To be continued...
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