History in Nigeria

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Like so many other African states, Nigeria is the creation of European imperialism. Its very name
after the great Niger River the country's dominating physical feature was suggested in the 1890s
by British journalist Flora Shaw who later became the wife of colonial governor Frederick Lugard.
The modern history of Nigeria as a political state encompassing 250 to 400 ethnic groups of
widely varied cultures and modes of political organization dates from the completion of the British
conquest in 1903 and the amalgamation of north and south Nigeria into the Colony and
Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914. The history of the Nigerian people extends backward in time for
some three millennia.

There are several dominant themes in Nigerian history that are essential in understanding
contemporary Nigerian politics and society. First the spread of Islam predominantly in the north
but later in southwestern Nigeria as well began a millennium ago. The creation of the Sokoto
Caliphate in the jihad (holy war) of 1804-8 brought most of the northern region and adjacent parts
of Niger and Cameroon under a single Islamic government. The great extension of Islam within
the area of present-day Nigeria dates from the nineteenth century and the consolidation of the
caliphate. This history helps account for the dichotomy between north and south and for the
divisions within the north that have been so strong during the colonial and post-colonial eras.

Second the slave trade both across the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic Ocean had a profound
influence on virtually all parts of Nigeria. The transatlantic trade in particular accounted for the
forced migration of perhaps 3.5 million people between the 1650s and the 1860s while a steady
stream of slaves flowed north across the Sahara for a millennium ending at the beginning of the
twentieth century. Within Nigeria slavery was widespread with social implications that are still
evident today. The Sokoto Caliphate for example had more slaves than any other modern country
except the United States in 1860. Slaves were also numerous among the Igbo the Yoruba and
many other ethnic groups. Indeed many ethnic distinctions especially in the middle belt--the area
between the north and south--were reinforced because of slave raiding and defensive measures
that were adopted for protection against enslavement. Conversion to Islam and the spread of
Christianity were intricately associated with issues relating to slavery and with efforts to promote
political and cultural autonomy.
community level, Local Councillors be they men or women, would need to better understand the
existence of gender biases against women's participation in local participation processes and
their role and responsibilities to counter such biases.

On the other hand the Nigeria, The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accounts for over
half of West Africa's population. Although less than 25% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, at least
24 cities have populations of more than 100,000. The variety of customs, languages, and
traditions among Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups gives the country a rich diversity. The dominant
ethnic group in the northern two-thirds of the country is the Hausa-Fulani, most of whom are
Muslim. Other major ethnic groups of the north are the Nupe, Tiv, and Kanuri. The Yoruba people
are predominant in the southwest.

Isoko While some people believed that the Isoko people originated from the Benin Kingdom,
others, like Professor Obaro Ikime, believe this to be untrue. Ikime states "If there is any aspect of
the history of the various peoples of Nigeria about which no one can speak with any exactitude, it
is that which deals with the origins of our peoples."The belief that most of the Isoko groups are of
Benin origin were views held and expressed in the 1960s and 1970s. These views were
"decidedly simplistic and were based on British Intelligence Reports of the 1930s"and Ikime's field
work of 1961-1963

ETHNICITY IN NIGERIA
To begin with, ethnicity1 may be defined as “the employment or mobilization of ethnic identity and
difference to gain advantage in situations of competition, conflict or cooperation” (Osaghae
1995:11). This definition is preferred because it identifies two issues that are central to
discussions on ethnicity. The first is that ethnicity is neither natural nor accidental, but is the
product of a conscious effort by social actors. The second is that ethnicity is not only manifest in
conflictive or competitive relations but also in the contexts of cooperation. A corollary to the
second point is that ethnic conflict manifests itself in various forms, including voting, community
service and violence. Thus, it need not always have negative consequences. Ethnicity also
encompasses the behaviour of ethnic groups. Ethnic groups are groups with ascribed
membership, usually but not always based on claims or myths of common history, ancestry,
language, race, religion, culture and territory. While all these variables need not be present before
a group is so defined, the important thing is that such a group is classified or categorised as
having a common identity that distinguishes it from others. It is this classification by powerful
agencies such as the state, religious institutions and the intelligentsia such as local ethnic
historians that objectifies the ethnic group, often setting in motion processes of self-identification
or affirmation and recognition by others. Thus, ethnicity is not so much a matter of ‘shared traits
or cultural commonalities’, but the result of the interplay between external categorization and self-
identification (Brubaker, Loveman and Stamatov 2004:31-32).

Most analysts agree on the basic constitutive elements of ethnic groups but disagree on how and
why they were formed, why ethnicity occurs, why it occasionally results in violent conflicts and
what should be done to prevent its perverse manifestations.. As Ake (2000) and Mustapha (2000)
have correctly argued these distinctions have been overemphasized as use of one does not
necessarily preclude the other. Most scholars combine more than one perspective in their
analyses. Essentialism, the earliest of the four approaches, arose from cultural cartographies and
greatly influenced modernization theorists whose positions became the points of departure of the
other three approaches. The following sections examine the interplay between the ethnicity and
gender issues