Demographic delusion and urban violence: a challenge to youth development in Nigeria

ISSN： 1466-6650

Source： International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, Vol.11, Iss.3-4, 2011-12, pp. : 218-230

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Abstract

This paper examines demographic delusion and urban violence in Nigeria as challenging youth development efforts. Politics is a game of number. The Nigerian state is an amalgam of several ethnic groups pushing for numerical supremacy for political reasons. Institutional reforms and regional development projects especially youth development has suffered from the politics of demographic statistics and ethnic pluralism. The paper argues that the history of Nigerian demographic data is the history of spurious census data which the ruling class is on top to protect their entrenched interests. It further argued that demographic factors like migration and demographic delusion contribute to urban violence and youth under development. While analysing the etiology and consequences of urban violence, its impact on state capacity and state formation was examined. The paper also explained violence culture in terms of how state and non-state violence actors seek to legitimise violence for selfish and political reasons.