Social Mobilisation as an Instrument of Nation- Building: The Nigeria Experience

Abstract

Nigeria as we see her today is a colonial creation through various processes culminating in the policy of amalgamation. The policy sought to unify the heterogeneous people into one nation. The process marked the consolidation of the British imperial administration in Nigeria. In place of political development, it marks the induction and mobilization of the various peoples of Nigeria into one geographical entity- a process geared towards nation building. Thus, the common denomination of the process of social mobilization is change expressed in terms of aspirations and orientations of the mobilized population and the erosion of traditional commitment for nationhood. The paper critically examines the nature and character of this process and certain functional prerequisites which must be fulfilled to enhance the effective integration of the cultural sections for real nationhood. The paper evaluates the historical origin of social mobilization vis- a-vis political development of successive governments since independence but, concluded that the Nigerian federation suffers from over centralization of power, a lack of popular democracy, and the absence of a political class sufficiently committed to arouse the national consciousness essential to political integration. The paper calls for the emergence of a dynamic and purposeful leadership to create enabling conditions for true national integration and stable democracy.