Special Issue: Development and Sustainability in Africa – Part 1 International Journal of Development and Sustainability Online ISSN: 2186-8662 – www.isdsnet.com/ijds Volume 1 Number 3 (2012): 656-674 ISDS Article ID: IJDS12092603 Between ethnicity, nationality and development in Nigeria Toyin Cotties Adetiba 1 , Aminur Rahim 2* 1 Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Management and Commerce, University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, South Africa 2 Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Management and Commerce, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa Abstract While it is possible for ethnicity through exclusivism to truncate socio-political and economic development in a multi-ethnic state, the recognition of every ethnic group that they belong to a nationality and not a particular ethnic group stems the negative impacts of ethnicity. This study examines the interplay between ethnicity, nationality and development in Nigeria. From the empirical evidences around the world, the study concludes that a political project that place emphasis on national integration and understanding as well as inclusion of every ethnic group in national governance is significantly a political tool to curtailing the negative impact of ethnicity in a multi-ethnic state; the product of which is socio-political and economic development. Keywords: Ethnicity, Nationality, Exclusion, Development, Inclusion Copyright © 2012 by the Author(s) – Published by ISDS LLC, Japan International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS) Cite this paper as: Adetiba, T.C and Rahim, A. (2012), “Between ethnicity, nationality and development in Nigeria”, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 656-674. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: arahim@ufh.ac.za