JOURNAL OF LIAONING TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

THE CITIZENSHIP QUESTION AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

Ibitoye, Majekodunmi Olusesan, Bamidele, Samson Olukayode

Abstract

Extant literature have shown that the nature and character of the Nigerian state is undermining the relevance of citizenship and we must not fail to point out that the nation’s democratic project and development have been greatly inhibited to some extent by the problem of citizenship which in a way is affecting the survival of Nigeria as a geo-political entity. Despite the constitutional provisions guaranteeing the citizenship status of Nigerians, yet within the country, the discriminatory tendency premised on non-indigeneship is making Nigerians to becoming second class citizens in states other than their own. Therefore, the current popular struggle towards ensuring equality among the citizenry has constituted an impediment to internal security across Nigerian states. This paper therefore examines the nature of formation of Nigeria as a state, the kind of people, tribes, culture and belief. The paper also unveiled the emergence of unprecedented violence and insecurity situation in Nigeria which could be linked up with failure of Nigerian government to ensure equality through the principle of citizenship. Secondary sources of data were used in this paper with the means of collecting information from textbooks, journal articles and internets while Social Division Theory was used as theoretical framework. It was concluded that for security to be sustained, issues of ethnicity, indigeneity, among others, must be discouraged while promoting citizenship.

Keywords: Nigerian State, Citizenship, Ethnicity, Insecurity and Indigeneity.