Nigeria is not a socially cohesive country, survey shows
Only three per cent see themselves solely as Nigerians, 25 per cent with ethnic groups
The Africa Polling Institute (API) recently released a report on Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey (NSCS), which highlights amongst other findings that Nigeria is not a socially cohesive country. In this interview with the institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Bell Ihua, MATTHEW OHUNE finds out more about the latest survey. Excerpts:
WHY did your organization, Africa Polling Institute, decide to conduct a survey on social cohesion in Nigeria?
Thank you for the opportunity. Well, first things first; our decision stems from our mandate. Africa Polling Institute is an independent, non-profit and non-partisan opinion research think-tank, with a clear mandate to conduct and disseminate credible opinion polls, surveys, social research and evaluation studies at the intersection of democracy, governance, economic conditions, markets and public life. Secondly, we are the barometers of the country, and our job is to constantly feel the pulse of the nation on various important matters and let the people’s voices be heard. Someone has got to do the heavy lifting when it comes to scientifically seeking the opinion of Nigerians, and we have decided to take the bull by the horns to ask these difficult questions.
What is your understanding of social cohesion and why is it important to study it?
Simply put, social cohesion refers to the willingness of citizens of a country to cooperate with one another in other to survive and prosper. So there is the survival element, and the prosperity element. So a socially cohesive society is one that fights exclusion and perceived marginalization, one that promotes inclusiveness and participation of all citizens, and gives everyone a sense of belonging and a form of unifying identity that is higher than any other ethnic, tribal or religious associations or considerations. Well, in terms of importance, you need to understand what the lack of social cohesion does to the country. It is a major reason why we have tensions and agitations in several parts of our country today. It impedes national integration, peaceful coexistence, economic growth and transformative development.
The study made use of some components and parameters to measure social cohesion. What were they and can you tell us a bit about the methodology of your survey?
Let me start with the methodology for the survey. We employed a stratified random sampling technique to select a nationally representative sample across the 36 states of the country and the FCT. Data was collected proportionately from every senatorial district in Nigeria, by face-to-face household interviews. A total of 5,019 respondents were interviewed of Nigerians above 18 years and above, and the interviews were conducted in five languages: English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. On the indicators and parameters, based on the literature on five indicators are used to measure social cohesion, namely: identity, trust, social justice, patriotism, and future expectation.
So firstly, identity refers to how citizens see themselves. Do they see themselves from a national perspective or an ethnic or tribal perspective? Then on the issue of trust, do citizens trust the government, public institutions and their fellow citizens from different ethnic groups and religious affiliations from theirs? On the issue of equity and social justice, the concern here is the perception as to whether the laws of the country protect everyone equally or there are certain sacred cows that are more equal than others? On the issue of patriotism, the key point here is to test the willingness of Nigerians to work together with fellow citizens to make the country a better place. And lastly the component of future expectation refers to how citizens see the future of the country.
What were some of the major findings from the survey?
Well, there were several findings from the survey, but to summarize, the survey found that with the current state of affairs in the country, Nigeria cannot be said to be socially cohesive, and a lot more needs to be done to promote unity, oneness, trust and a national identity that is higher than any other ethnic, tribal or religious identity in the country. From the perspective of the government and state-actors, a lot needs to be done to fight marginalization, perceived exclusion and promote a sense of inclusion and oneness for all Nigerians. So you see, with the level of poverty at the bottom of the pyramid, 13.2 million children out of school, 23.1 per cent unemployment rate and 20 per cent under employment, that means you have over 43 per cent of your population either unemployed or underemployed; these are all indicators of exclusion, which are breeding tensions in various parts of the country. It is therefore not surprising to see so much apathy towards government and lack of social cohesion. Similarly, on the part of non-state actors such as NGOS, CSOS, advocates, community and faith-based organizations, a lot also needs to be done to promote peaceful coexistence, unity and oneness.
This summary is quite in the components of identity and trust. What else did the study reveal?
There were quite a number of findings that came out of the survey, which highlighted that Nigeria cannot be said to be a socially cohesive nation. For instance, 87 per cent of Nigerians prefer to identify equally as both
Nigerian and from their ethnic groups. This includes 25 per cent who prefer to identify more with their own ethnic groups than being Nigerian, compared to only five per cent who see themselves more as Nigerians. Then you have 10 per cent who see themselves only from their ethnic group versus only three per cent who see themselves solely as Nigerians.
So essentially, while most Nigerians prefer the dual identity of being Nigerian and from the ethnic groups, there seems to be more leanings towards the ethnic groups, and this is at the heart of social cohesion. In addition, 45 per cent of Nigerians said the country is much more divided today than it was four years ago. And this is compared to only 26 per cent who said it is much more united today. Interestingly, when you zoom in on those who believe the country is much more divided, significant proportions were found to be from the Southeast region with 70 per cent, South-south region with 59 per cent and North Central region with 47 per cent.
“Interestingly, when you zoom in on those who believe the country is much more divided, significant proportions were found to be from the Southeast region with 70 per cent, South-south region with 59 per cent and North Central region with 47 per cent. The survey further showed that 55 per cent of Nigerians said they are truly proud of the nation, compared to 30 per cent who said they feel disappointed. Also, 70 per cent of Nigerians believe there are persons above the law in country “