Nigeria and the Nation-State

Nigeria matters. It is the largest African economy, projected to become the third most populous country in the world by 2050, with its democratic aspirations are challenged by rising insecurity. It is also misunderstood. Leading expert John Campbell traces the mistakes and misunderstandings of British colonial rule that forced a territory with hundreds of distinct languages, ethnic groups, and religions, no history of political unity, and no history even of similar political organization, into a single unit. After Nigerian independence in 1960, a civil war that cost the lives of one million Nigerians ended in a generation of military rule that ended only in 1999. When the military finally returned to their barracks, what was left? It was not-and never had been-a nation-state like those of Europe. It is still not quite a nation because Nigerians are not yet united by language, religion, culture, or a common national story. It is not quite a state because the government is weak and getting weaker, beset byBoko Haram in the northeast, intercommunal violence across the middle of the country, an insurrection in the Niger Delta, and a country-wide crime wave.