Please join the Wilson Center Africa Program on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm for a special conversation on Managing Nigeria’s Diversity Amidst Rising Ethno-religious Tensions with H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR, Ph.D.), former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nigeria ranks among the top ten most populated countries in the world with a population of approximately 200 million. The populace is characterized by more than 300 ethnic groups who are split almost evenly among Muslims and Christians. Since independence on 1 October 1960, the country’s nation-building exercise has been challenged by the management of its ethnic and religious diversity, particularly as this diversity intersects with other socio-economic and political factors. In this conversation, President Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s President from 1999-2007, will share his reflections on the drivers, scope and trajectories, and implications of the persistent ethno-religious tensions in Nigeria, and then offer some suggestions on measures that can be taken to address and manage these tensions toward a more inclusive Nigeria.
