Good Governance: A Variable Tool for Nation Building in Nigeria

An alarming and recurrent theme in the political system of Nigeria is pluralism. The pluralistic nature of Nigeria is as a result of colonialism and the eventual fusion of various independent nations. Serenity and harmony have since taken their flight thereby giving way to discord and crises among the different ethnic groups that make up the country. The divides of the society are often used for the identification of those to be iynched, hence ethno-religious consciousness becomes the beginning of wisdom in Nigeria. The thrust of this paper therefore, is an historical account of the reasons for the fusion, the attendant usage of differences for unhealthy rivalry by Nigerians, identification of efforts at nation building with a submission that good governance would surmount such rivalries and make Nigerians see one another as siblings or belonging to the same nation irrespective of place of origin.