Abstract

The foundations of a true federalism are based on the concerns for the unity and integrity of a culturally diverse nation like Nigeria. Unfortunately, the greed for power, power tussle, influence of colonialism, etc have really affected Nigerian federalism, and her leadership, which has paved a way for Fulani hegemony thereby disrupting the national unity of Nigeria. This study elucidated on Fulani hegemony and national unity in Nigeria with a focus on Abuja Declaration of 1989, which is enforcing the islamisation of Nigeria. Furthermore, it sought to find out the extent to which Fulani hegemony affect the national unity of Nigeria; and the extent to which the Abuja Declaration of 1989 affect the national unity of Nigeria. This study adopted the Religious Majoritarian Approach Model as propounded by Miller (2016). The findings of this study were that Fulani hegemony to a large extent affect the national unity of Nigeria; and the Abuja Declaration of 1989 to a large extent affect the national unity of Nigeria. This study recommends that the imposition of religious beliefs on every other in Nigeria should be aborted since Nigeria is a heterogeneous nation.

Keywords: Fulani, Fulani Hegemony, National Unity, Abuja Declaration of 1989