Poetry As A Veritable Tool For National Integration In Multi-Ethnic Nigeria

The paper sets out to examine how poetry can be use as a veritable tool for national integration in multi-ethnic Nigeria.  Ethnicity has been among our country’s most difficult and enduring problems. Over the years, Nigeria has been suffering ethnic clashes which usually results in loss of   lives and properties. The researcher observed that poetry has the ability to sensitize people and make them learn to live together in peace in spite of the ethnic differences. This motivated the researcher into finding out how poetry can be employ as a veritable tool in curbing ethnic clashes and thereby achieve national integration. Survey research method is adopted for this research. Books relevant to the topic were critically reviewed, analysed and used for the study. The theoretical frame-work adopted for the study is Aristotle’s Rhetorical Theory. This literary approach is relevant to this study because it advocates that its concern is with   the type of discourse whose chief aim is to persuade an audience to think and feel or act in a particular way. The researcher recommends that since people look to poetry for articulation, poets have to devote adequate attention to its writing.  This study will be useful to every Nigerians and to the students who may wish to                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              carry out further study in the related areas. The researcher observes that if poetry are carefully handled, it will play vital role in curbing ethnic clashes and in realizing national integration which can be characterized by tolerance and respect.