International records / OpenAlex research

The Origins of Crisis

Nothing can be understood about Nigeria until its pattern of ethnic diversity is delineated. Within the boundaries drawn by the British are a staggering variety of ethnic groups, as revealed by the presence of some 248 distinct languages (Coleman, 1958: 15). Many of these linguistic groups are tiny and politically insignificant. But just three comprise roughly two-thirds of the population: the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Igbo (Table 2.1). In this respect, Nigeria can be classified as having (in Horowitz’s terms) a relatively ‘centralised’ ethnic structure. These keywords were added by ma…