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November 19, 2024
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August 29, 2025
Published
August 30, 2025
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Abstract

This paper examines the impact of ethno-religious dynamics on Nigeria’s social structure, political interactions, and national identity. Drawing on over 40 scholarly sources, spanning historical texts, political analyses, and sociological theories, this study traces the roots of Nigeria’s ethno-religious tensions from the colonial era to the present. It engages key works by scholars such as Afigbo (1972), Nnoli (1978), Ake (2000), and Falola and Heaton (2020), as well as speeches by Nigeria’s founding fathers. Using the historical method, the paper situates these challenges within the colonial experience, where British policies institutionalised ethnic and religious divisions. It argues that post-colonial leadership largely failed to address these divisions due to political self-interest. The review concludes that while ethnicity and religion hold potential for unity, they have more often been manipulated as instruments of division, particularly through “divide and rule” tactics. The study, thus, contributes to ongoing debates on national integration, identity politics, and conflict resolution by emphasising the need to confront historical legacies as a path toward democratic governance and sustainable development in Nigeria.

Keywords

Ethnoreligious conflicts national integration identity politics colonial rule Nigeria

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Copyright (c) 2025 Sunday Moses Adebayo Aloko

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Author Biography

Sunday Moses Adebayo Aloko, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria

Sunday Moses Adebayo Aloko is a Lecturer II in the Department of History and War Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, Nigeria. He holds a B.A. in History, an M.A. in History, a P.G.D.E., and a Ph.D. in History and Strategic Studies. He is also a Fellow of the Ife Institute of Advanced Studies (FIIAS). His research interests include social history, economic history, political history, international history, security studies, and strategic studies.

How to Cite
Aloko, S. M. A. (2025). The Foundations of Ethno-Religious Politics and Conflicts in Nigeria, 1914-1966: A Critical Review of Existing Literature. Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 6(2), 116–129. https://doi.org/10.56893/pajes2025v06i02.09
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