Nigeria is one of the states that owe their existence to the imperialistic activities of Britain which by virtue of a superior technology and economy; subjugated people from diverse nationalities and organized them to construct Nigeria in 1914 with the amalgamation of the Northern and southern protectorates [1]. The creation of Nigeria as a single political entity brought together people of different nationalities under a single territorial and institutional framework. This widened their social space as a result of greater inter-ethnic interaction thus creating a common history. It should be noted however, that the peoples making up the country were not effectively integrated towards the end of evolving a true sense of national identity and commitment to the survival and development of the nation. The amalgamation of 1914 brought diverse cultural groups together as a nation in spite of their differences in language, occupation, ideology, values, religion and so on. In other to promote peaceful co-existence among these groups, there is the need for integration. One of the key factors which promote political, economic, social and industrial development is security. Therefore to promote peace and security, there is the need for national and social integration in the country. National integration will promote healthy political development which will enable Nigerians pull their resources together to achieve greater productivity [2].

The major objective since 1914 when the northern and southern protectorate were amalgamated was to build a strong united and progressive nation. Several efforts have been made and several methods are put in place just to realize this objective but it has not yet been achieved. Jekayinfa further reiterates that one of the major problems confronting Nigeria as a political entity was the issue of how to achieve a greater measure of national integration among various cultural groups that constitute the Nigerian society as a geopolitical region. In their own submission, Akinlaye, Bolarinwa, Olaniyonu and Ayodele [3] stated the reasons for Nigeria’s lack of integration as follows:

• Class interest and political ambitions of Nigerian Bourgeoisie leading to political crises

• Lack of purposeful and selfless leadership

• Increasing misuse of scarce resources

• Ethnic tensions and conflicts

• Religious intolerance and secularity

• Galloping and spiraling inflation and lack of price control

• Ever-widening gap between the rich and poor as well as hunger and poverty

• Mass unemployment

• Overpopulation and its attendant social consequences

• Steady increase in ethnic nationality

Corroborated still, Ekanola opines that, 

“Today rather than integrating into a cohesive community with a common sense of national identity and destiny, citizens of Nigeria are returning more to primordial affiliations, for identity, loyalty and security. Instead of forging a united front and presenting a concerted effort to face the challenges of development in an increasingly competitive and globalized world. Nigerians are busy waging ethnic and religious wars.” p.280.

Ideally, the spirit of federation and nationalism is expected to override all ethnic, tribal or religious affiliations of Nigerians, unfortunately, this is not the case as most ethno-religious conflicts were based on ethnic or religious identity. Also, the predominant value system of wealth and material acquisition, ethnic and tribal loyalty are fundamental obstacles to national integration and the survival of Nigeria as a nation. This is the more reason, while Ugwuegbu [4] and Falade [5] argued that a community populated with people without appropriate positive value will not survive. In Nigeria, the practice of ethnic politics has sustained the belief that each of the over 250 ethnic groups must struggle for its own share of the national resources [6]. Today the emergence of ethnic militias, kidnapping, armed banditry, Boko haram insurgency and a lot of other vices constitute great threat to the stability and unity of the nation. Nigeria cannot attain national integration that could foster expected development and national transformations except the citizens acquire and demonstrate required values and traits enshrined in social studies education.

The most fundamental duty of leaders of multi-ethnic and multi-religious state after security is the pursuit of national integration and unity. The reason may be because the fall-outs from the political and economic contestations between the diverse identity groups possess the potentials to endanger state cohesion, security, stability, peace and development [7]. Where such gladiations are not handled with maturity and fairness, they can explode the state. It is a fact that conflict is an inevitable aspect of human interaction. In the same vein Otite [8] observed that “conflict is a normal process of interaction particularly in a complex societies in which resources are scarce”. As long as people and nations pursue different and conflicting interest, there will always be disagreements, disputes and conflicts Conflict cannot be wished away, or decreed out of existence because rights are more precious than peace and at times to preserve those rights, war ensues [9]. To this end, leaders of states with diverse groups must make policies, programmes as well as projects that will reduce tension and clearages between the groups and equally promote national integration. It is against this background that this paper examines how social studies education can enhance national integration and security challenges in Nigeria.         

Conceptual Clarification

Social Studies Education 

This is an integrated body of knowledge formulated to equip the learners with significant values, attitudes, skills and knowledge in order to be productively functional in the society [10]. Imogie [11] stressed that it is the particular responsibility of social studies education instruction to provide citizenship education to the young stars. Kissock in Argungu defined social studies as a programme of study which a society uses to transmit to students the knowledge, skills, attitudes and actions it considers important concerning the relationship human beings have with each other and their world”. Social studies education is a value laden instruction which relates citizens’ obligations and duties to the state. It is a process of inculcating the citizens with national policies, economic, social and technological values. Teaching the subject as a discipline brings the reality of everyday societal living to students, helping them to acquire the knowledge, attitude, values and skills required to be responsible and disciplined members of their society. Social studies emphasizes students’ familiarity with their physical and social environments; improves social relationships and interactions; skills and ability to think reflectively, critically, creatively and independently. Achieving all these objectives leads to problem solving education.

The basic education curriculum in social studies apart from taking into consideration the societal need, has incorporated many of the contemporary issues of local and global concern such as youth unemployment and youth restiveness, environmental issues, drug abuse, family life education, security, peace, and conflict issues including other aspects of the seven-point agenda of the Jonathan’s (PDP) government of Nigeria. Social studies education was tailored towards making Nigerian children develop the ability to adapt to their changing environment, become responsible and disciplined individuals capable and willing to contribute to the development of their societies and cultivate the right types of values [10].

National Integration

National integration can be described as specific problem of creating a sense of territorial nationality which eliminates subordinate parochial loyalties [12]. National integration is the collective orientation of members of a society towards the nation and its society in such a way that micro-loyalties are not allowed to jeopardize the continued existence of the nation and its objectives, goals, and ideas [13]. National integration as a concept describes a situation in which citizens of a country increasingly see themselves as one people, bound by shared historical experiences and common values, and imbued by the spirit of patriotism and unity, which transcends traditional, primordial diverse tendencies [14]. In post-colonial societies like Nigeria, it embodied a strategy of forging unity in diversity and connotes a striving to be a unified people in a modern, colonially created nation state. National integration has become a major post-independence project which was perceived to be necessary and critical to national progress and development. It sought to create patriotic citizens out of disparate and antagonistic groups.

National integration according to Vyas, [15] means a process as well as a goal by which all the people inhabiting a particular territory irrespective of their religious, ethnic and linguistic differences, on the basis of certain shared traditions, experiences, common history and values strive to live together forever with honour and dignity. It is both a process and a goal where different communities live together harmoniously by forging a common identity that is shared by all emphasizing the commonalities shared [16]. Some of the things shared between communities are; the love for justice, peace, security, prosperity, beliefs, worldviews, laws, values and so on.

The 1914 amalgamation was a marriage of convenience [17], that is, it was to suit the sole purpose of ease of administration and exploitation of the colonial powers. The union of the over 250 ethnic nationalities was therefore “unity by a rope of sand” [18]. Nigeria was not meant to work because it was not unification by natural evolution. The “Nigeria” project was a distant comparison to Italy, Germany and Spain whose unification from the idle Ages to the 19th century was by the freewill or choice of the people under dynamic leadership. The act of merger by the European colonial powers merely forced the diverse ethnic groups of Northern and southern protectorates into a single entity without consultation with the various ethnic groups or their leaders [19]. This autocratic and undemocratic British colonial policy, therefore marked the origin of ethnic conflicts in the country.

Socio-economic and political developments in Nigeria have been hindered by disunity and its associated problems. Hence, the successive governments in Nigeria have sought for ways and means by which nation building or national integration and patriotism of Nigerian can be strengthened by peaceful co-existence. The more they strive, the less the Nigerian family ties. Apart from creation of state and federalism, other measure like the quota system, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (J.A.M.B) have been fashioned out to redress the imbalance inherent in the country’s socio-political structures and foster national unity. Suffice it to stress that these measures succeeded in strengthening statism, nepotism, corruption and mediocrity.

Succinctly, the plethora of ethnic crisis from 1966 to date, the basic underlying factor in election, allocation of resources, party formation and political appointment is ethnic consideration. The concepts and propositions such as geopolitical zones, zoning and rotational presidency seem to be more modest ways of perpetrating ethnic politics [19]. An uglier dimension of ethnic crises is intra-ethnic and intra-regional disagreements which have led to fratricidal wars and conflicts such as Tiv-jukun, Tiv-Hausa, Andoni-Ogoni, Ife-Modakeke Umeleri-Aguleri, and Biron-Fulani [20]. It should be noted that one of the factors that is comprehensible about these developments is that ethnic conflicts has gained momentum because the polity from top-down is structure along ethnic lines and conditioned by a primitive tribal and primordial culture.

Security Challenge

Security is simply the existence of conditions within which individuals in a society can go about their normal daily activities without any form of threat to their lives and property [21]. Anything devoid of this constitutes a challenge to security. Uche, defines security as the freedom from or the absence of those tendencies which could undermine internal cohesion and the corporate existence of a nation and its ability to maintain its vital institutions for the promotion of its core values and socio-political and economic objectives as well as meeting the legitimate aspirations of the people. Nweze [22] defines security as the presentation, protection and guarantee of the safety of life, property, wealth of the citizenry and measures to guard against threat of the national security. Nwolise [23] views security as safety, freedom from danger or risk, protection from espionage, infiltration, sabotage, theft and so on. Imobighe [24] conceptualize security from the angle of militarism – the ability of state to define itself from military aggression.

Suffice it to stress that, the collapse of Soviet Union (a superpower) in 1991 without war, and the humiliation of the United States by a handful of unarmed, angry Arab youths in 2001 change the concept and practice of security. People returned to McNamara’s view in Nwolise [25] that:

“In a modernizing society, security means development. Security is not military hardware, though it may involve it; security is not traditional military activity, though it may encompass it. Security is development and without development, there can be no security.” McNamara.

Threats to Human and National Security

The threats to human and national security according to Nwolise [25] include:

• The physical treats like kidnapping, armed robbery, political thuggery, assassinations etc

• The spiritual threats such as wrath of God, aggressive juju, curses, spells, oath-taking and breaking and so on

• Unemployment: Millions of youths in Nigeria today are unemployed. How can there be peace and security in the country since an idle mind is the evil workshop

• Poverty: This is the oil that is fuelling hunger, starvation, ill-health and hopelessness all over the world and thereby endangering violent crimes, terrorism and wars

• Porous Borders: The porosity of Nigeria borders had serious security implications for the country. Through porous borders and weak security system, weapons come into Nigeria from other nations

The philosophy behind the entrenchment of social studies education in all levels of educational institutions according to Gele [26] recognizes that the cadre of learners involved need free time and sympathetic guidance to look at life and to look at themselves to grasp the human condition and slowly to decide how they choose to govern their values upon the earth. The knowledge of social studies in schools will help to produce future society free from religious intolerance in Nigeria [27].

Social Studies Education as a Roadmap for National Integration and Security Challenges in Nigeria

The integrated nature of social studies has given it an edge over all other subjects because it draws it contents, concepts methods and generalization from the arts and social sciences and humanities. Social studies according to Kissock [28] is a programme of study which a society uses to instill in students the knowledge, skills, attitudes and actions it considers important concerning the relationship human beings have with each other, their world and themselves. In order to produce citizens that will promote national development, there are attitudes and values which are considered desirable that a good citizens should possess. These include – cooperation, comradeship and togetherness, honesty, integrity, hard work, equity and fairness, these were stated in the National Aims of Education and could be achieved through the teaching of Social Studies.

Social Studies teaches the different cultures, religions, nationalism, ethnic groups and nationalists movement etc so as to make the learners appreciate the sacrifices our fathers had made for the need to live and work for the good of Nigeria. Also, Social Studies according to Argungu [29] teaches national integration which refers to the coming together of Nigerians to form one indivisible and indissoluble nation with people of different cultures and religions accepting and respecting one another as Nigerians. This means national integration requires the people of various ethnic/religious groups to stay together, work together and tolerate each other’s differences.

Social Studies inculcate the virtue of patriotism. Federal Government of Nigeria [30] describe patriotism as expressing great love for one’s country. People who do so are called nationalists. Patriotism also implies love for nation irrespective of any differences. Students are taught the importance of love to one’s country which is equitable to love one has for his/her family. The importance of patriotism was enumerated by the Federal Government of Nigeria (2011) (FGN) to include: to promote unity, to enhance development, to ensure full and proper use of resources, to help the nation benefit from our knowledge and skills.

The subject is society bound and its curriculum reflects the problems, yearning and aspirations of the given society. The nature of the problems and aspiration of the society have always determined the nature and purpose of its curriculum. Nigeria, for instance, has her problems which are not identical with the problems of other societies. So, the Social Studies curriculum of Nigeria takes into consideration the peculiar problems of the country among which are security challenges which is presently the issue of national concern, irrespective of cultural background. Others are corruption, kidnapping, rape, terrorism, advanced fee fraud and so on.

Social studies is a discipline that, if properly and effectively taught, would help to solve some current social problems facing developing countries like Nigeria. The subject is an essential tool for inculcating virtues that make for national integration and patriotism. The Nigerian government needs to be a role model in term of transparency and accountability in governance. The link between national integration, security and social studies should go beyond, law and order by encompassing peaceful, cordial and mutually beneficial existence for the generality of the populace.

Recommendations

Based on the foregoing discussion, the paper put forward the following recommendations among others:

• The Nigerian leaders and followers must acquire the values that are embedded in social studies education. There is also the need to bring a radical change into our value system to get things right. This would enable the leaders to put the interest of the nation first before self, social, religious, political and ethnic groupings

• Social studies teachers and classes should promote brotherly love and extend it to the outside community. There should also be public education and enlightenment so as to kill ethnic and religious intolerance and enhance love for Nigeria

• There is the need for Nigeria to develop visionary leadership that is a leader who is detribalized. Somebody who will champion the cause of the entire citizenry of Federal Republic of Nigeria. Such a leader will mould the contending ethnic and religious groups into harmony

• There should be termination of injustices and impunity in the country against groups, zones etc. The general citizenry must learn to consistently demand for transparency and accountability from their leaders

• The government need to accelerate the pace of development through the creation of an economy with relevant social, economic and physical infrastructure for business operation and industrial growth to provide gainful employment for the teeming population of unemployed youths. An adage says - an idle hand is the devil’s workshop, when the unemployed youths are gainfully employed, they would not be lured to join anything that will be a threat the country’s security

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