Communal and Ethno-Religious Crises and their Implications for National Development in Nigeria

This article is a discourse on the origins, causes, and consequences of communal and etlmo-religious crises in Nigeria. The researcher takes a critical reflection on the history of communal, ethnic and religious crises in Nigeria during a three decade period covering 1987 to 2006 and reveals among other things the causes and consequences of such crises. The researcher analyses among other things, the contributions of religious bigotry, underdevelopment at the grassroots, and youth unemployment to the incidence of communal, ethnic and religious crises over the period under examination. The researcher concludes by advancing suggestions on how a new pathway to peace may be charted in the Nigeria State; fostering religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic groups, grass root development and youth empowerment through viable and productive labou