The State and Ethnic Autonomy in Nigeria

Abstract

This article examines the utility of the principle of autonomy in the management of deeply divided polities, from the perspective of the Nigerian case. It traces the origins of the principle to the attempts by the colonial authorities and subsequent regimes to accommodate the country's ethnic diversity, but argues that this essentially state-centred approach reduces the effectiveness of the principle. This is because autonomy is not simply a matter of rational choice by supposedly 'neutral' state power holders. It also has to do with the counter-state dimension of the groups seeking autonomy from the state. The article then argues that a coupling of the two perspectives, which locates autonomy as a product of contestation and negotiation, increases the efficacy of the autonomy principle in theory and practice.