Author
Oguamanam, Gabriel Onyebuchi PhD
Department of sociology/Anthropology
Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka.
gaboskiaz@yahoo.com +2348038728563
Abstract
Nigeria by its composition is undoubtedly a nation
comprising of multi-ethnic groups and, therefore in the
face of competition for scarce resource, ethnicity
obviously is going to be encountered. Ethnicity in
Nigeria is rooted in the fact that Nigerians have since the
amalgamation in 1914 been forced out of their familiar
linguistic, social, political, and cultural units, and
brought face to face, with others whose ways of life
appear to constitute mutual threat. The root of ethnicity
is fear, that is fear of the unknown; fear of losing the
predictability of one’s way of behaving which one’s
already acquired attitudes and values have guaranteed;
fear of having one’s established and cherished values
changed or destroyed; fear of competition for scarce
resources; fear of domination by privileged groups/minorities; fear of loss of control, etc. these fears
keep social and psychological distances wide, too wide
for a feeling of Nigerianness to be easily created.
Nevertheless, Nigerians can derive formidable social,
political, economic and psychological strength from this
collection of ethnic groups if their perceptions are not
dominated by prejudice. One group that can have a
significant role in this is social workers. Social work is
described as the profession that helps society work better
for people and helps them function better within society.
This paper argues that treating citizens unequally on the
basis of ethnicity is anti-developmental and a major
problem in Nigeria. It has caused resentment among
marginalized ethnic groups, fuelled conflicts and
sometimes wars, and discouraged investments, retarding
growth and development prospects.
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