Identity politics and national integration in Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to examine the impact of identity politics on national integration in Nigeria. This paper relies on secondary sources of data, and contends that identity politics can create the necessary awareness and actions needed to redress the inequities promoted by the structural imbalance of the Nigerian State. The redress of the inequities can be a stabilizing force necessary for the actualization of national integration in Nigeria. On the other hand, it argues that identity politics can also be a divisive factor which can seriously threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria and make our quest for integration illusory. Also, the paper is  of the view that national integration can be achieved when identity politics is guided by certain objective conditions expressed in democracy. Therefore, it recommends that there should be an internalization and demonstration of the democratic culture in everyday life of Nigerians.