ON October 4, 1974, the late Dr. Tai Solarin published an article which he titled "The beginning of the end". It was a holistic reflection on the entity called Nigeria as the country marked her 14th anniversary of political independence. In it, Solarin observed "this nation, Nigeria is greater than any of us or any of its component units. There is not a single one of us who does not need this country more than the country needs him. It follows therefore that nation's survival as a united virile entity and its real development and progress should of necessity be the country of all of us over and above both our particular groups or sections".

It could be reasonably inferred that the civil society at the time and in the coming years require adequate attention. For, it is only a society that guarantees peace and stability that its citizens are proud of. At independence Nigerians must have hoped for such a society. It was a modest expectation of a people who had just emerged from the frontiers of socio-political darkness. But the society intended for Nigerians has ended in mere dreams especially against the backdrop of unending social upheavals. And it seems the wisdom of the country's founding fathers has been bankrupt, when one takes account of the phenomenon of ethnic conflicts like the Ife/Modakeke, Umuleri/Aguleri, Tivs/Jukuns, Itsekiri/Ijaw and the later day emergency of ethnic militant groups like OPC, Bakassi Boys, Egbesu to mention just a few. But by its peculiar circumstances Nigeria is a nation favoured by providence. It is unarguably Africa's most populous country. Nigeria is a leading oil producer as well as a potential world power having been blessed with adequate human and material resources.

For individuals and even entities, to attain 40 years is a landmark age. The individual or entity is expected to have grown into fruitful maturity. In the strict sense, it is to be located in time and space. Today, Nigeria is exactly 40 years old. The ultimate question then is how has the Nigeria civil society fared?

Taking stock of its achievements and failures over the years, cannot be complete without inquiry into progressive development or otherwise of the Nigeria civil society. The process of development is divisible into two distinct epochs - the period of formation and the period of crisis.

The slave trade on the coast came to the halt in the 19th century when Britain showed its readiness economically, for a changeover from a mercantile sugar oriented trade which dwelled on exchange between slaves and sugar, to an industrial economy which required raw materials. The first recorded state was the Kingdom of Kanem, originally located north-east of Lake Chad. Its economic basis rested on a trading relationship with North Africa, while political power was concentrated in the hands of the Sefewa dynasty. It had strong imperial ambition. In the early 15th century Kanem was invaded by a group known as the Bulala and the Sefewa dynasty was forced to move to Borno. The Kanembu nucleus mixed with the indigenous people and became known as the Kanuri who embraced Islam. It was from there a series of Islamic Hausa state flourished in the North.

In the South, the Yoruba empires centred on Ife, Oyo and Benin. In the South-East, the Ibo and other ethnic groups evolved societies that were loose without a strong central authority.

To a very large extent, people who lived during this period witnessed a regime of peace and harmony. Although tribe and tongue differ, the people hailed their motherland.

There is a lot of difference today, it is a regime of civil upheavals by all account, resulting in the ruination of an ordered civil society. Of late, the civil society has witnessed what can best be described as the wasting disease of Nigeria. The Niger-Delta province is fast becoming a theatre of tears, sorrow and blood. More slightly away from this zone of anguish to Anambra across the Niger, one would be confronted with another crisis around the Aguleri/Umuleri belt.

In the South, civil disorder is being played out between Ijaw and Ilaje on the one hand and Modakeke and Ife on the other. Ibadan witnesses a slide into bitter crisis between the natives and the nomads often times. From north to south and from west to east the Nigerian civil society is brimming with strives. In fact, it is like a hydra-headed monster which seeks to devour the people.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon is emerging at a time countries under the sun are positioning themselves to benefit from the gains of scientific renaissance. It is just imperative that at 40, the Nigerian civil society should in all measure be conducive for the succeeding ages.