Confronting the Challenges Facing the Nigerian Nation State: Using Sports as Agent of Unification

Abstract

This paper explains the concept of nation-state and sports. It critically examines some of the challenges characterizing Nigerian nation state such as ethnicity, corruption, politics of godfatherisms, tribalism, language differences, and religious crises among others. It emphasizes the use of sports for  creating of friendship across different tribal groupings and inculcation of appropriate values such as patriotism, honesty, discipline love which help in achievement and national ideals and goals. The paper concludes that the  state and federal government investment in sports will not only comment  national unity but will also reduce social vices such as drug abuse, armed  robbery, trafficking in human persons etc.