ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP: A RESOURCE FOR NIGERIAN INTEGRATION

Abstract

Nigeria started on faulty grounds leading to challenges of integration. The Nigerian Federation is not a product of the citizens desire to be together but an imposition. There has been no commitment to resolving the challenges. Thus disconnect between the state and citizens and the anomie in the country. At various historical points, there existed indications of disintegration. Relationship among various ethnic and religious groups and institutionalized discrimination threaten the continued existence of the country. The government has failed in security responsibilities. A country where corruption has risen to exponential levels is a disaster. There is palpable anger in the land. The challenges of integration seem insurmountable. That is why Nigeria faces the challenges of disintegration. Popular processes for the resolution of these challenges erroneously focused on structure and leadership. It is the position of this paper that re-interrogation of the citizenship question will resolve the challenges of integration. To the paper, the citizenship order births active citizenship that would resolve the challenges. To arrive at this conclusion, the author embarked on expository methodology using desktop and library research. The concept and conceptualization of active citizenship was the analytical framework that guided the search. The paper concluded that the conceptualization and practice of active citizenship and the citizen provided the panacea for integration in Nigeria. It made a number of recommendations to the achievement of the purpose amongst which is dialogue on citizenship by the state and civil society. Keywords: Active Citizenship, Nigeria, integration, relationship dynamics.