INTRODUCTION
Nationalism is one of the most disputed and controversial concepts in social sciences. This is due to the fact that the concept is heavily laden with ideological, religious, ethnic, racial and socio-economic emotional undercurrents. Indeed, nationalism has become a very powerful force in modern history. It could be described as a double-edged sword; it represents two ideological divides – domination and struggle for freedom. That is, nationalism arouses strong feelings – for some, it is tantamount to racism, but for others nationalist sentiment creates solidarity and stability, which are preconditions for freedom.
Nationalism is a system created by people who believe their nation is superior to all others. Most often, this sense of superiority has its roots in a shared ethnicity.
Other countries build nationalism around a shared language, religion, culture, or set of social values. The nation emphasizes shared symbols, folklore, and mythology. Shared music, literature, and sports may further strengthen nationalism.
The History of Nationalism
Nationalism didn’t arise until the seventeenth century. Before that, people focused on their local town, kingdom, or even religion. The nation-state began in 1658 with the Treaty of Westphalia. It ended the 30 Years War between the Holy Roman Empire and various German groups.
Industrialization and capitalism strengthened the need for a self-governing nation to protect business rights, and merchants partnered with national governments to help them beat foreign competitors. The government supported this mercantilism because the merchants paid them in gold. The steam-powered printing press helped enable nations to promote unity within and prejudice against outsiders.
Nationalism under fascism works within existing social structures, instead of destroying them. It focuses on “internal cleansing and external expansion,” according to Professor Robert Paxton in “The Anatomy of Fascism.” The thinking justifies violence as a way to rid society of minorities and opponents.
Factors That Led To Nationalism in Nigeria
The factors that led to Nationalism in Nigeria include historical, political, economic, social, geographic, and other factors.
Some of the internal factors that led to the nationalist movement in Nigeria include social, religious and to some extent political and economic factors. However, the division of these factors cannot be regarded unambiguous as every part of the country’s life is its integral part.
One of the internal factors that led to nationalism in Nigeria was religious factor. Europeans refused to allow the incorporation of local customs and practices into the Christian orthodoxy which, however, didn’t stop Nigerians from developing new denominations independent of European imperial rule. Christianity had experienced “protestant” schism which was one of the crucial periods in the history of Christian churches in Nigeria.
Social factors: Social factors appeared in many different forms, particularly, in founding various ethnic organizations that sometimes took the form of tribal unions. Such organizations have been established primarily in the cities as many rural migrants moved to the cities. Some of the most popular associations were the Igbo Federal Union and the Egbe Omo Oduduwa (Society of the Descendants of Oduduwa), a Yoruba cultural movement and other. Nigerian students who had an opportunity to study abroad joined other students in pan-African groups from other colonies, for example, the West African Students Union which was founded in London in 1925.
Political factors: When talking about political factors that led to nationalism in Nigeria, the emergence of political parties launched significant political changes in Nigeria. Such political parties as the Nigerian Youth Movement, National Democratic Party, The Action Group and Other Political parties fought for freedom and independence of Nigeria from British rule.
Mass media influence: The development of the press has also contributed to the nationalism in Nigeria. In 1925, the Lagos Daily News was established by Herbert Macaulay, the father of Nigerian nationalism. This opportunity was afforded by the 1922 constitution to elect the representatives to the Legislative Council which gave politically conscious Nigerians a powerful tool of for future development.
The key figure in the political activity was Herbert Macaulay, called a father of Nigerian nationalism. He has founded a newspaper, the Lagos Daily News and the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), which dominated elections in Lagos from its founding in 1922 until 1938. His political platform had a great influence on the economic and educational development in Nigeria.
Minimization of the British presence in Nigeria enabled local officials and politicians to gain access to government jobs and funds for local development, market permits, trade licenses, government contracts, and even scholarships for higher education.
Economic factors: As for the economic factors that caused nationalism in Nigeria, Nigerians fought for increasing participation in the economy of Nigeria. Social factor that led to nationalism in Nigeria was the discrimination Africans suffered from. Slave trade had strongly negative effects on the development of nations. In terms of economy, the Africans had the only hope for trade unions which had demands raised by striking It has also led to the growth of nationalism in Nigeria. In 1945, one of the biggest strikes took place in Nigeria which forced the colonial masters to agree to the demands of the striking workforce.
When talking about the economic factor that contributed to the growth of nationalism in Nigeria, a relative political independence caused an increase of economic freedom. Despite the fact that initially imports lagged behind exports, by the ‘50s the surpluses decreased. The most important economic factor that led to Nigerian nationalism was a search for oil that began in 1908 by Shell and British Petroleum. In 1958, exportation of Nigerian oil was initiated through Port Harcourt. Oil income was not the biggest part of the country’s income, however, it started the political rivalry among the political parties. The crucial thing was that NCNC took fifty-six seats in the Parliament which gave it right to control the petroleum production.
External factors: As for other external factors, nationalism in Nigeria was fueled by countries like India, Pakistan, Ghana, and others that have just gained their independence.
As you can see, there were a lot of factors affecting the outlook of Nigerians during that time. Learning our history is very important for taking the right decisions in the future.
Implication of Nationalism on Nigeria Education
In today’s world, nationalism plays an essential role in the stable development of every nation’s growth. The feeling of nationality is called nationalism which can also be understood as a political strength that holds a nation together towards any goal. Nationalism has its roots in national consciousness and love for one’s country to handle its own affairs. Nationalism is also considered a political ideology based on patriotism which helps to fight for country’s independence.
What is the effect of Nationalism in Nigeria Education?
Nationalism can be perceived from two points of view, attitude and action. Attitude is concerned with the feeling of a national identity, loyalty of the nation. The nationalistically related actions occur when the enemy is threatening the existence of the nation. Nationalism is a feeling of political unity. Nigerian nationalism arose at times when the country was under the rule of the British empire.
Educational system in Nigeria served the purpose of facilitating administration for the British colonial masters. Education was a privilege of the elite. To some extent, the African movement started in Britain. Initially, nationalists were not focused on Nigerian nationalism but on the efforts of the Nigerian ethnic groups including Igbo and Yoruba to gain freedom from the imperial rule. They began the agitation for self-rule.
The positive effect of Nationalism in Nigeria Education
Nationalism in African countries arose from the struggle against colonial rule. In general, nationalism had positive effects on Nigeria’s development. If it is driven by good motives, it strengthens the country and makes it better for all citizens.
Nationalism in Nigeria did not only help in the fight for independence but promoted education and development of Nigeria and other African countries.
The negative effect of Nationalism in Nigeria Education
After all, nationalism may have negative effects on the country’s development as well. The thing is that leaders who came after the prime nationalistic leaders were not patriotic. They enriched themselves with the country’s wealth.
The truth is Nigeria today is using a nationalistic system that is completely different from how it looked at the times of gaining her independence. Since after Nigeria’s independence, the country has grown significantly in terms of economy and politics. However, when the military rule emerged, the nationalistic spirit began to die, and corruption began to grow in the hearts of the political and economic leaders which also affected Nigerian citizens who witnessed crisis, numerous killings, unemployment and other negative effects.
As every phenomenon has its positive and negative effects, nationalism has them too. While at the beginning nationalism was the force that helped Nigerians gain the freedom and prosperity, develop their identity, language, and culture, later, after the emergence of the military rule, it influenced country in the negative way.
Other effects of Nationalism on Nigeria Education are underneath:
- The Press: Newspapers played an effective role in awakening the minds of Nigerians towards the struggle for self-rule, e.g. West-African Pilot and Lagos Daily News. This, in turn, caused an increase in the activity of the press in the country.
- Constitutional Change: Nationalism resulted in the reform of most of the colonial constitutions. This change was necessary in order to involve Nigerians in the affairs of the country.
- Political Education: One of the effects of nationalism is the encouragement it gave to political education and training of future leaders. People were also educated on their political rights.
- Independence: Nationalism or nationalists’ activities led to the independence of Nigeria on the 1st of October, 1960.
Summary
Nationalism is a feeling of belonging to some community of people sharing the same culture and territory. At times of colonization, Nigerians strived to preserve the identity of the group, achieve statehood, and establish a government based on sovereignty.
The population of Nigeria consists of many tribes. Two main religions in Nigeria are Christianity and Islam. On the one hand, these differences divided the country but, on the other hand, each tribe struggled for the freedom that contributed to the overall success.
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