International records / Internet Archive

Change in Nigeria: challenge of the 80's

Nigeria, a country of great importance to US interests, faces many challenges in the 1980's. The survival of this strategically important nation may be dependent upon its ability to manage and control the forces currently at work trying to dismember the growing unity of its people. Three potential forces for change - Islam, ethnicity, and the economy - are discussed and the most likely vehicle for peaceful, progressive change is analyzed. While facing its many challenges the emergence of a constitutional government, steadily gaining in strength, may provide Nigeria's best hope for peaceful evo…