Breaking Up Is Easier to Do

Government efforts to keep the lid on separatism are faltering. In the southeast, the Ibo tribes are demanding their own state, as are the tribes in the oil rich delta region. Up north, the Moslem states are passing laws that make them different from the rest of the country. In the north, adoption of Islamic (sharia) law continues to be popular. Corruption at the national level has caused widespread demoralization, and lack of faith in the idea of a Nigerian state.