The Politics of Restructuring and the Nigerian Unity: The Role of the Leadership

Abstract

The Nigerian political system, to a very large extent, since independence in 1960, has continued to be marked by divisions along ethnic, religious and class lines. The primodial identity symbols appear to have been capitalized on and manipulated by the political class and the elite to gain undue advantage in electoral contests, which have almost become a recovering decimal of the Nigerian politics. The result of this phenomenon has been a lack of patriotic leadership with nationalistic tendencies and equity-induced service delivery in the political affairs of our country. Our attempt at this Conference therefore, is to give a critical analysis of the politics surrounding the concept of restructuring and Nigeria unity vise-vise the role of the leadership.