Dance Costumes in Abuja Carnival: The Contradictions of Socio-Political Integration

Abuja carnival is the flagship tourism activity in Nigeria. Beyond being a tourism event meant to lure fun seekers to Nigeria and specifically Abuja, it is also meant to be a festival of unity among Nigerians. It is conceived and designed to be one of those mechanisms  constructed by Government to keep strengthen the fragile bonding of the over four hundred  ethnic groups that make the country. This is where the contradictions set in. A carnival that is meant to be   a celebration of  unity turns out to be a constant reminder  of the peoples differences as the ethnic groups stick to their different costume identities annually. This paper attempts to proffer a solution to this contradiction.