IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL POLICY (JHSP )

E-ISSN 2545-5729
P-ISSN 2695 2416
VOL. 11 NO. 5 2025
DOI: 10.56201/jhsp.vol.11.no5.2025.pg72.83

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Colonialism’s Emergent Social Structures and Emerging Elites in Post-Civil War Nigeria

Adeleke, Gabriel Osuolale, Suberu, Jimoh

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Abstract

Colonialism has ended in Nigeria since October 1, 1960, but its impact is still being contested among people, whether it is brief or lasting, especially on the heels of inter-group conflicts like the Civil War which led to state creation, and introduction of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others agglutinating mechanisms, which are considered to be instrumental to the promotion of national integration. Despite the agglutinating mechanisms, Nigeria remains deeply divided with is implications on national development. The study used descriptive survey design. Nigerian citizens of ages 18 to 45 whose educational backgrounds are between secondary and tertiary levels formed the study population. One hundred and fifty (150) samples were randomly selected from Ibadan metropolis among the three major ethnic groups (Hausa, Fulani and Igbo) on equity basis of fifty samples (50) per one. Frequency count and percentage were used in analyzing responses to the research questions for the study. Findings from the study revealed that actually colonialism has epochal effect and not episodic effect as the attitudes of the emerging political elites continue to remain competitive and selfish even after the agglutinating mechanisms put in place to avert future recurrence of Civil War in Nigeria. This study therefore recommends that there is need for emerging Nigerian political elites to drop their selfish interests that negatively affect the attainment of the objectives of the palliative measures for eradicating inter- group conflicts after the civil war, among other ones.

keywords:

Civil War, Emergent structures in colonialism, Emerging elites, Epoch and National

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