Paper long abstract:

Co-author: Insa Nolte, Centre of West African Studies, Birmingham

In response to the deepening crisis of the Nigerian state and the increasing economic and political marginalisation of Yoruba-speakers during the 1990s, the nature of Yoruba political nationalism has changed. The subsequent radicalisation of popular attitudes led to growing support for the occasionally violent activities of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which continues to play an important role in the politics of western Nigeria. Beyond the political sphere, the transformation of Yoruba nationalism has also affected the internal relationships of the Yoruba nation. While Yoruba nationalism was associated with Christianity and formal education in the past, recent support for ethno-nationalist politics has grown especially among Muslims and the educationally disadvantaged.

The transformation of Yoruba nationalism reflects on a number of complex changes that are linked to the rise of the OPC. Thus, the OPC is an active agent of cultural homogenization. Although the OPC relies strongly on local traditional institutions, its revalidation of the cultural contributes to a more generalized pan-Yoruba practice. The OPC's revalidation of Yoruba cultural practice, however, does not hold widespread appeal to the educated elite, and it is opposed for spiritual reasons especially by Pentecostal Christians. This constellation has enabled Muslims and members of lower educational standing to take on leading positions within the OPC.

While the increased support of and participation into Yoruba nationalist politics by Muslims and the less educated reflects cultural work, it is also an indication of the nature of political and economic exclusion within the Nigerian state. Since the return to civilian rule under a Yoruba-speaking president in 1999, Yoruba-speakers have been able to rejoin national patronage networks. However, although the inclusion of regional elites into the national political economy has raised public perceptions of the value of being Yoruba, the life chances for many disadvantaged Yoruba-speakers - many of whom are Muslim and have had few chances to obtain a formal education - have not measurably improved. Thus, the OPC's success implies critique of social exclusion in Nigeria which constitutes the ethnic nation as a potential locus of a social reform of the state.