Divergences, commonalities and convergences: Nationalism and the poetics of identity in Nigerian fiction.

This article examines the complex interplay of ethnicity, multiculturalism, and national identity in Nigeria, focusing on how these themes are portrayed in Nigerian fiction from the colonial period to contemporary times. It highlights that Nigeria's colonial history forcibly united over 200 ethnic groups with divergent cultures and religions, leading to persistent ethnic nationalism and distrust that undermine national cohesion. Early Nigerian novelists, such as Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, often reflected ethnic perspectives in their works, whereas contemporary writers increasingly address Nigeria's multicultural realities and the need for national unity beyond ethnic divisions. The article concludes by advocating for a re-engineering of multicultural ethics and rigorous citizenship education to foster tolerance, patriotism, and a cohesive Nigerian identity that transcends ethnic and religious schisms.