Ethnoreligious conflicts and democracy in nigeria dr. An article written by ena dion on t stated that nigerias worst violence is not boko haram but the calm battle between herders and farmers. Herderfarmer conflicts in nigeria have mainly involved disputes over land resources between herders and farmers across nigeria but more devastating in the middle belt north central since the return of democracy in 1999. This paper explored ethnic conflicts in nigeria and participatory democracy. The roots of nigerias religious and ethnic conflict public radio. The focus of this paper is on impact of ethnoreligious crises on socioeconomic activities in wukari local government area with a view to proffering useful recommendations as a way forward.
Similarly, the igbos belonged to the national council of nigeria and cameroon ncnc. Ethnic conflicts are very common and they bring about damage to lives and properties. Introduction this paper explores the relationship between armed conflict and constitutional and political engineering in ethnoplural african societies. It also made sense to merge a revenuechallenged colonial territory with a prosperous colonial neighbor, so the latter can subsidize the. The series of conflicts in africa has left over 9 million persons to become refugees and internally displaced people. Pdf a historical survey of ethnic conflict in nigeria researchgate. Short of portraying nigeria s ethnic nationalities as fundamentally incompatible social groupings, he posits that nigeria as an entity. It occurred mainly because british colonizers desired a contiguous colonial territory stretching from the arid sahel to the atlantic coast, and because northern nigeria, one of the merging units. Nigeria has not been without its fair share of conflict. Welch calls these communal pressures matters of ethnic selfdetermination, maintaining that economic and political change in a multi ethnic milieu like nigeria invariably triggers ethnic conflict. Organized as a loose federation of selfgoverning states, the independent nation faced the overwhelming task of unifying a country with 250 ethnic and linguistic groups. Thereafter, the merging of different colonies into one country called. Ethnic, religious, regional, and sub ethnic communal identities mark the faultlines along which political claims and violent conflicts are made. Ethnic conflict and national stability in nigeria a case study of obasonjos regime with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire.
Nigeria is said to be a british creation by uniting the various nationalities into a single country today known as the federal republic of nigeria. An average nigerian often sees his own tribe as being superior to others. Nigeria is a large multi ethnic country, where ethnic cleavages remain a critical problem and where ethnic violence has erupted periodically. To call it a diversified society would not be wrong, a society with different religions, cultures, and languages. That is exactly what we are facing now with the biafra region. Religious conflicts in nigeria world socialist web site. Conflict one of the earliest deftnitions of conflicts. It may also combine with such factors to produce positive results, or be part of a combustible mix that triggers conflict. The effect of institutional arrangements on ethnic conflict in nigeria. Federalism and ethnic conflict in nigeria suberu, rotimi, diamond, larry on. Communal conflicts in nigeria can be divided into two broad categories. Often misrepresented as ethnic andor religious conflicts, they are the result of economic, political and environmental tensions in the country. Cold and warm is a term i coined in order to classify the firms in which ethnic conflict occur in nigeria. Deadly conflicts between farmers and cattle herders in central nigeria over land and natural resources reached a high point in 2018, according to a new report from amnesty international.
Causes and solution nigerians are very sensitive when it comes to their ethnic groups. Nigeria is a country that is full of surprises and conflicts in different areas and regions. Nigeria, ethnic considerations in political, economic, social and academic matters can hardly be. The existentiality iality of ethnic conflict in nigeria is not inherently destructive, but a. Actually, much of the material on nigeria has been inspired by the paradigms of the study of ethnicity in the social sciences generally. Nigeria watch recorded more than 10,000 public violent deaths in nigeria in 2017. While the origin while the origin of the conflict may be polit ical, social, economic or religious. The key causes and solution to ethnic conflict in nigeria. For instance, in nigeria the ethnic factor is seen when political parties are formed and during elections. Thousands have beep annilulated during inter ethnic clashes in africa particularly in countries like somalia, rwanda, sierra leone, liberia, uganda, chad, niger republic, nigeria etc. There are different identities and segments in this society. Ethnoreligious conflict in nigeria international center for ethno.
From the colonial times till date, leaders use ethnic biases to win election and divide the country. Ethnic conflict and sustainable development in nigeria. Hence when ethnic conflicts are minimal, they may be regarded as dynamic forces which help to propel the development of a society. A purview of mechanism for national integration olayiwola victor ojo school of social science, shanghai university, shanghai, p. Having argued that the salience of ethnic conflict lies in the dual role of the. It was found that a number of violent events that had occurred in nigeria was due to the manipulations of the constitutional law in a process of decision making by muslims and christian leaders and political elites that cannot fulfill the expectations of their respective ethnic groups. Furthermore, no religious conflict in the nation is purely religious without ethnicity playing its way in it. Misinterpreting ethnic conflicts in africa africa center.
Pdf as a creative sociopolitical mechanism for managing ethnic conflict in multi democratic system offers prospects for the sustainability of. In fact, no decade of postindependent nigeria has been conflict free. Pdf this paper examines how ethnic conflict occurred as a result of actions or decisions. At a global scale, the conflict presents itself in a way where there is a large economic impact. Pdf this article focused on the historical survey of ethnic conflict in the. These o s cieties are often characterized by persistent deeprooted and identityrelated. Towards ethnic conflict management in nigeria researchgate. In recent years, nigeria had witnessed the outbreak of several violent communal or ethnic conflicts, while some old ones had gained additional po. Causes of conflict in nigeria and ways of resolving them.
The end of the cold war thus sparked interest in two important questions about ethnic conflict. Towards ethnic conflict management in nigeria academia. Hundreds and thousands of people have lost their lives due to conflicts and civil wars. In nigeria s niger delta ethnic minority region, inter ethnic tensions preceded the discovery of oil and its eventual emergence as the main source of national revenue. Theoretical perspective 79 languages, customs and traditions gives the country a rich cultural diversity. The kind of ethnic conflict ravaging nigeria and other african countries can be appropriately situated at an extreme position in the continuum. An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more rival ethnic groups. By this is meant the country is a melting pot of ethnic. The amalgamation was an act of colonial convenience. A historical survey of ethnic conflict in nigeria citeseerx. D department of political science ekiti state university, adoekiti, nigeria abstract. A corollary to the second point is that ethnic conflict manifests itself in. Ethnicity is generally regarded as the most basic and politically salient identity in nigeria.
The roots of nigeria s religious and ethnic conflict. With several coups, general strikes and a civil war, nigerians have had to experience some of the most sordid tragedies arising from difference of opinions and distrust. The roots of nigerias religious and ethnic conflict. Below are some examples of current conflicts in nigeria. Natural resource conflicts in northcentral nigeria a handbook and case studies roger blench mallam dendo ltd cambridge, united kingdom august 2004. There is a general perception that africa is trapped in a neverending cycle of ethnic conflict. The major causes of ethnic conflict in nigeria include. The northern peoples congress npc was formed in the first republic and it was a hausafulani party. The ethnic conflicts happen as a result of intolerance and inadequate relationship between the regions within the country.
However, what appears to be an ethnic conflict in nigeria is an actual fact of a struggle between the ruling class for the nations wealth. Violence among muslim and christian ethnic groups was largely kept in check by a succession of military regimes until 1999, when nigeria returned to. The challenge of ethnic conflict central intelligence agency. Tribalism is one of the causes of ethnic conflict in nigeria. Ethnocentrism and ethnopolitical conflicts in northern. A need for true federalism peaceful and prosperous in nigeria article pdf available november 20 with 9,748 reads how we measure reads. Briefly stated, these are the seven themes we intend to sketch in the following discussion of institutional design, ethnic conflict management, and democracy in nigeria. Just as we have many authors, so we have several definitions of the concept. Current conflicts in africa 2020 and examples information. Nigeria is an oil rich country, but nearly twothirds of the population lives in poverty and makes less.
Ethnic and religious crises in nigeria african journals online. Ethnic minority conflicts and governance in nigeria. D department of political science ekiti state university, adoekiti, nigeria mike opeyemi omilusi ph. Nigeria, as a nation, is bound by various ethnicities or ethnic groups, thus higazi noted that, the dominant discourses in the conflict refer to political exclusion on the basis of ethnicity and religion 14. Modern nigeria emerged through the merging of two british colonial territories in 1914. I political cycles and inter ethnic outcomes in nigeria s postindependence history. Religion and conflict in nigeria united states institute of peace. Hence ethnic and religious identities may be conjoined, which. The national question in nigeria is probably one of the most complicated in the world with over 120 languages spoken, three main ethnic groups, none of which constitutes a majority of the population, and the religious divide between christians in the south and muslims in the north. Greece and closed all possibilities of turkey joining. In other words, it is the action, process, or result of merging, combining.
Ethnic rivalry is a major cause of africas backward states. The causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies. Ethnic conflict and national stability in nigeria pdf. Ethnic minority conflicts and governance in nigeria rotimi t. Loyalty to ethnic groups impedes true nationalism and unity of the country. The attempt to break away ultimately failed, and nigeria reintegrated the igbo majority region in 1970.
Religious conflicts in nigeria by barry mason and chris talbot 28 february 2000 violent religious clashes broke out in the city of kaduna in northern nigeria on february 21 and have continued. Ethnic groups and conflicts ethnic group means different things to different people. The history of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts in nigeria is also traced back. Therefore its management has become a mirage in spite of series of interventions to put the conflicts to an end.
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