Nation builders are those members of a state who take the initiative to develop the national community through government programs, including military conscription and national content mass schooling. Nation-building can involve the use of propaganda or major infrastructure development to foster social harmony and economic growth. According to Columbia University sociologist Andreas Wimmer, three factors tend to determine the success of nation-building over the long-run: "the early development of civil-society organisations, the rise of a state capable of providing public goods evenly across a territory, and the emergence of a shared medium of communication."
Since Nigeria‟s independence, the greatest need of the country has been to weld together a unified entity from the desperate communities whose members retain primary loyalties to the smaller units. The major political parties in the First Republic- the Northern People‟s Congress (NPC), National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), and the Action Group (AG) had enjoyed the support of their respective regions of origin (North, East and West respectively) and non had a national outlook (Agi 188).
Nation-building has important aspects. First, it is about building a political entity which corresponds to a given territory based on some generally accepted rules, norms, principles, and a common citizenship. Second, it is also about building institutions which symbolized the political entity. These institutions include bureaucracy, economy, the judiciary, universities, civil service, and civil organizations. Nation-building is about building a common sense of purpose, a sense of shared destiny, a collective imagination of belonging. It is therefore, about building the tangible and intangible threads that hold a political entity together and gives it a sense of purpose. This is in consonance with this era of globalization and rapid international inflow of people and ideas make a nation viable and synonymous with achieving modernity. It is about building the institutions and values that sustains the collective community in the modern times. This paper is aimed at x-raying the challenges of nation-building in West Africa using the Nigerian example since independence.
The concept of nation building is based on the idea that a nation is more than just a collection of individuals - it's a group of people who share a common history, culture, and identity. Nation building is the process of creating or strengthening a national identity and a sense of belonging to a nation. It involves things like establishing a shared language, creating a common educational system, and promoting a shared understanding of history.
Nation-building is the process whereby a society of people with diverse origins, histories, languages, cultures and religions come together within the boundaries of a sovereign state with a unified constitutional and legal dispensation, a national public education system, an integrated national economy, shared symbols and values, as equals, to work towards eradicating the divisions and injustices of the past; to foster unity; and promote a countrywide conscious sense of being proudly South African, committed to the country and open to the continent and the world.
It's also important to understand that nation building is a complex and long-term process. It takes time, effort, and resources to build a strong and cohesive nation. And it's not a one-size-fits-all process - each country has its own unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to nation building.
Another major problem is the lack of economic development, which makes it difficult to provide basic services like education and healthcare. Finally, corruption is a major obstacle to nation building, as it diverts resources away from the people who need them most.
Some examples of nation building in Nigeria and Cameroon. In Nigeria, one example of nation building was the creation of the Universal Basic Education Program, which aimed to provide free, compulsory primary education for all children. This program has helped to increase literacy rates and has had a positive impact on the economy. In Cameroon, a major nation-building initiative has been the decentralization of government, which has helped to promote local development and give people a greater say in their own affairs.
Another example from Nigeria: the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). This program was created to promote national unity and encourage young people to contribute to the development of the country. It involves young people from all parts of Nigeria serving for one year in communities different from their own, to learn about different cultures and to promote understanding between different ethnic groups.
Okay, let's look at the Bakassi Peninsula dispute. This was a territorial dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria that lasted for many years. It was finally resolved through a peaceful process of negotiation, which involved both countries agreeing to cede territory and create a joint development zone. This is an example of nation building through peaceful conflict resolution.
It's important to remember that there's no one-size-fits-all solution to nation building. It's a complex and nuanced process that requires careful consideration of the unique circumstances of each country. I think it's also important to remember that the process of nation building is a long-term one - it can take generations to build a strong, cohesive nation.
2. Coleman, J. Nigeria: Background to Nationalism. California: University of California Press, 1958.
3. Mylonas, Harris (2012). The Politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees, and Minorities. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. xx. ISBN 978-1107661998.
4. Wimmer, Andreas (2018). Nation Building. Princeton University Press. doi:10.1515/9781400888894. ISBN 978-1-4008-8889-4. S2CID 240305736.
5. Gambari, A. Ibrahim. The Challenges of Nation-Building: The Case of Nigeria.Abuja: 2008
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