Nigerian inter-group relations: emerging trends and challenges.

The issue of inter-group relations in Nigeria is not new as it has attracted scholarly attention for some decades now. As recurring as this subject may have been to analysts of inter-group relations in Nigeria, it cannot be abandoned, because the dimension which it has taken threatens the existence of the country. This paper seeks to argue that there was a relative harmonious relationship among the people before colonialism in Nigeria, but this was altered by colonial policies. The relationship among the people became more tenuous due to the activities of the political class that emerged since independence and the unfavourable economic space. The extent of the correlation between the character of the political elite and economic failure and the emerging trends in Nigerian inter-group relations is explored in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]