by Prior to this moment, I had always argued that Nigeria is not a nation. However, in my continuous quest to broaden my understanding of contentious issues, I have come to a new conclusion: the answer is both Yes and No.
To defend this position, I shall briefly examine the etymology of the word nation and the varying definitions advanced by notable scholars.
Etymology of the Word Nation
The etymology of nation is itself a historical journey, traversing Latin, Ancient Rome, Old French, and Middle English.
In Latin, natio is derived from the verb nasci, meaning to be born. By extension, natio denotes birth, breed, race, stock, or people born from a common origin.
In Old French, nacion refers to a people, race, or the inhabitants of a country.
In Ancient Rome, natio was used to describe a group of people sharing common birth or ancestry.
The modern English word nation therefore evolved from these antecedents. Its contemporary meaning, however, has expanded considerably owing to the emergence of modern states and the rise of nationalism.
Before considering this broader context, it is useful to examine how some scholars have defined a nation.
Scholarly Perspectives on a Nation
Appadorai (A Grammar of Politics)
“A nation is a community of people who feel that they are one. This feeling of oneness may arise from common race, common language, common religion, common culture, common history, or common political aspirations.”
Ernest Renan
In his 1882 lecture, What Is a Nation?, Renan famously declared:
“A nation is a soul, a spiritual principle.”
According to him, a nation rests upon:
A rich legacy of shared memories; and
The present-day desire to live together.
He further described a nation as:
“A daily plebiscite.”
Joseph Stalin
(Writing before his assumption of Soviet leadership)
“A nation is a historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, common territory, common economic life, and a common psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.”
Ernest Barker
“A body of persons inhabiting a definite territory, united by common ties of race, language, religion, history and tradition, and conscious of a common unity.”
Benedict Anderson
In Imagined Communities, Anderson defined a nation as:
“An imagined political community—and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.”
Ethnic Nation and Civic Nation
With the evolution of modern states and nationalism, particularly in Europe, the concept of nation assumed a wider meaning and came to be viewed from two broad perspectives: Ethnic Nation and Civic Nation.
An Ethnic Nation refers to a people united by common ancestry, language, culture, religion, and history.
A Civic Nation, on the other hand, refers to a people united by common citizenship, political institutions, and allegiance to a state, irrespective of ethnic differences.
This distinction explains why some scholars regard countries such as Nigeria as states containing several nations, while others consider them civic nations still in the making.
In its strict etymological sense, a nation implies a people linked by common birth or descent. In its modern political sense, however, it may denote a community of citizens who consciously choose to live together under a common government, even though they may differ in ancestry, language, religion, or culture.
Despite this classification, there remains no universal consensus among political scientists, historians, and sociologists on what precisely constitutes a nation.
The Nigerian Context
In the Nigerian context, federalism appears to have denied the country the characteristics of an ethnic nation while simultaneously imposing upon it the features of a civic nation.
We may therefore revisit the question: Does Nigeria fit the definition of a nation?
Appadorai — Partially
Many Nigerians identify more strongly with their ethnic groups than with the Nigerian nation.
Renan — Partially
Some citizens willingly embrace a Nigerian identity, while others perceive the union as largely imposed.
Stalin — Largely No
Nigeria lacks a common language and a single homogeneous culture.
Barker — Partially
There is territorial unity, but race, language, religion, and historical traditions remain diverse.
Anderson — Yes
Nigeria can be viewed as an imagined political community whose citizens share a sovereign state.
Conclusion
In summary, under the definitions advanced by Appadorai, Barker, and Stalin, Nigeria is more accurately described as a multinational state composed of many nationalities. Under Renan and Anderson, however, Nigeria may legitimately be regarded as a nation to the extent that its citizens consciously desire to maintain a common political existence and cultivate a shared national identity.
Thus, the answer to the question “Is Nigeria a nation?” remains both Yes and No—depending on which conception of nationhood one chooses to adopt.
