A Proposal on Faith Ticket and Quest for National Integration in Nigeria: A Study of APC Presidential Ticket
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The general objectives of the study is to examine the impact of same faith ticket on the Nigerian political atmosphere: A review of APC 2023 choice of presidential candidate. The specific objectives is as follows:
- To examine if same faith ticket has an impact on National integration.
- To find out the challenges facing the choice of same faith presidential candidate in Nigeria.
- To investigate if same faith ticket will disrupt the fragile peace that exists among the different religious groups in Nigeria.
- To assess if same faith presidential ticket can engender peaceful and harmonious existence among the diverse peoples of Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
Related literature
National Integration
From the colonial period to the present, Nigeria has evolved as a nation. The issue of national unity has plagued Nigeria from its inception. Today, Nigeria has surmounted some of the challenges of diversity and its many cultural groups. It has achieved greater national unity over the almost fifty years of existence. The twenty- first century has posed new threats to national integration with the militancy of the unemployed. The new tensions in the country come from the rise of militant groups in the Niger Delta. The wave of kidnappings and destruction of oil pipelines by unemployed youths forecasts a period of instability and danger to national integration. The unemployed in all parts of the country are increasingly violent in Jos, Lagos, and other cities. The recent crisis in Jos saw a thousand unemployed gathering at the borders to enter the mayhem. To overcome the latest threat to national unity, we need a return to our cultural values. With the de-emphasis on ethnic groups, we may have lost sight -of the positive contribution cultural groups can make to educating young people in the right values. The traditions of African ethnic groups must be inculcated in our youth to guide them in the right direction. Ethnic groups are communal or cultural groups based on common ethnicity, language, customs, and/or territory. The concept of ethnic group is different from tribe. Tribe is gradually passing from usage. Tribe is defined as a group bound together from the beginning of time with common ancestor, line of descent, kinship, territory, and language. The word tribe is no long acceptable because it does not accurately describe the history of cultural groups as they emerged in the colonial period and saw full development in the First Republic (1960-65). In my chapter, “A Re-Examination of the History of Ethnic Groups in Nigeria,’’ I demonstrated that ethnic groups did not exist in the pre-colonial period. In the early days, there was no unity among members of ethnic groups. Members did not identify themselves as belonging to ethnic groups. Rather, they saw themselves as from small villages. These small village groups were not under a central government. There was often distrust or suspicion of strangers from other towns. The colonial government helped to develop ethnic groups through their uniting of villages into regions. With the creation of three major regions, the North, the West, and the East, in 1939, the people were brought together for the first time. Next, cultural and political entrepreneurs set out to forge unity among the groups. In the 1940s, cultural associations such as the Ibibio Union, the Igbo State Union, and Egbe Omo Oduduwa, emphasized common culture and history of its group. The next step in the cementing of ethnic groups was the Macpherson Constitution of 1951. The regions were given greater power through division of the civil service by regions. The federal civil service, previously a great source of national integration, was now divided into three. As there was a shortage of qualified Northerners to fill positions in the civil service, the Northern region put southerners on contract. The formation of political parties also followed regions. The Northern People’s Congress (NPC) was a “closed” party, restricted to the North. There were no branches of the party outside the North. Southerners in the North could not join the party. Southerners resident in the North were barred from contesting for election in the North. Extreme regionalism was the main characteristic of the First Republic. The slogan was “East for the Easterners, West for the Westerners, and North for the Northerners. Nigeria for nobody.’’ Regions were more powerful than the federal government. The North, with the greatest population, controlled the country. There was strong discontent in the South. The two coups of January and July, 1966, brought change. Major General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi declared the regions abolished and decreed one civil service for the country. This action angered the North who opposed opening the civil service in the North to southerners. They feared Southern domination. The pogroms against Igbos in the North were an expression of anger in the North against the attempt to end Northern control. When the next Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, took power in the coup of July 1966, Northerners attacked southerners, and southerners fled the North. Gowon succeeded in dismantling the regional structure of the country. On May 27, 1967, Gowon announced the creation of twelve states. Six states were formed from the North, three states from the East, and two in the West and one in the Mid West. The creation of states diluted the power of the three regions. The federal government increased its power as the bloc voting by regions was ended. Along with the division of the regions, there was increased power for the government and dilution of the power of the emirs. The reduction of the power of the emirs was essential in developing loyalties to the nation instead of the 7region. The federal government also increased its power over revenue allocation.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work. The choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to Faith Ticket and Quest for National Integration in Nigeria: A Study of APC Presidential Ticket
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
The researcher will employ oral and direct interview in administering this research questions. Responses from the respondents were needed unlike questionnaires, which is less rewarding due to late receipt and loss of responses from respondents. The method of data analysis that will be used by the researcher is the simple percentage. More so, percentage and degrees of the responses will also be used in the analysis. Here, the ratio of those whose responses were not in the affirmative will be found and conclusions will be drawn there upon. Representations of the level of responses will be made in tabular form. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software will be used to test the hypotheses.
References
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