A history of identities, violence, and stability in nigeria. The key causes and solution to ethnic conflict in nigeria. Hocker and wilmot 1985 say conflict can have highly desirable, productive functions in a relationship. Loyalty to ethnic groups impedes true nationalism and unity of the country. Pdf on jan 1, 2015, hilal wani and others published ethnic conflict, democracy and good governance. Nigeria has not been without its fair share of conflict. Pdf the article focuses on the interface between ethnicity and. Nigeria is an oil rich country, but nearly twothirds of the population lives in poverty and makes less. John burton 1990 the importance of this theory to ethnic conflict management in africa is that it moves beyond theories that blame african conflicts on a primordial past. Religious conflicts on the rise in africa africa dw. It occurred mainly because british colonizers desired a.
Managing ethnic and cultural diversity for national integration in. Unlike other forms of social conflicts, ethnoreligious conflict entails different ethnic groups that belong to different religions. Olayinka olabinpe ojo department of general studies. Against this background, this paper examines the dominant causes of boundary conflict between nigeria and cameroun, with particular reference to the bakassi peninsula. A history of identities, violence, and stability in nigeria by eghosa e. Tribalism is one of the causes of ethnic conflict in nigeria.
Project managers view olalekan ogunbayo department of building technology, lagos state polytechnic, ikorodu, lagos state. Conflict management in local government administration in nigeria oladoyin, anthony mayowa ph. Ethnocentrism and ethnopolitical conflicts in northern. Jan 24, 2012 timeline ethnic and religious unrest in nigeria. Jul 10, 20 why a terrifying religious conflict is raging in nigeria in the countrys socalled middle belt, 785 people have died in the past two years, and the government is doing little to stop it.
An average nigerian often sees his own tribe as being superior to others. Traditionally, ethnic nationalism typifies a sense of identity, national pride and solidarity, to mention a few. Causes of conflict in nigeria and ways of resolving them. The ethnic conflicts happen as a result of intolerance and inadequate relationship between the regions within the country. Major causes of ethnoreligious conflicts in nigeria. This seven year conflict and humanitarian crisis in the north has killed 20,000 and displaced 2. Interethnic conflicts and their impact on national. Developing country management ethnic conflict by participation and justice policy that the equality is the best way for resolve this problem.
Theoretical perspective 79 languages, customs and traditions gives the country a rich cultural diversity. In developing country incidence were low and in the developing sever. 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. Burton 1979 the human needs theory was introduced to debunk the other theories that attribute causes of conflict to the innately aggressive nature of human beings. Case of nigeria find, read and cite all the research. Ethnic militias in nigeria and their impact on democratic. Cold and warm is a term i coined in order to classify the firms in which ethnic conflict occur in nigeria. Ethnic and cultural conflicts in nigeria are rooted in the 1914 merger of the. The effect of institutional arrangements on ethnic conflict in nigeria. It is essential to advert that both religious and ethnic causal agents have always acted together in the majority of social conflicts in nigeria. The article also assumes that, it is significant to note the influence of politicization of ethnicity, selective injustice and elite manipulation in conflict analysis in nigeria. Radio and television interviews were the least media used. The ethnic militias effect on democratic consolidation. Over the past few years thousands of people have been killed in ethnic clashes.
For many years northern region of ghana has been in a state of turmoil and atrophy due to intermittent inter ethnic conflicts over a broad layer of issues. In fact, no decade of postindependent nigeria has been conflict free. Federal character commission fcc, set up in nigeria to oversee the process. Pdf nigeria is one of the major democracies in african continent. It also made sense to merge a revenuechallenged colonial territory with a prosperous colonial neighbor, so the latter can subsidize the former. 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.
The study revealed lack of established library policy on conflict management information services as the major problems affecting library services for conflict resolution with the highest variable score 3. Towards ending conflict and insecurity in the niger delta region. The amalgamation was an act of colonial convenience. The causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies. Jan 30, 2012 view conflict in nigeria in a larger map. Cultural concepts of political legitimacy, the rule of law and rights to land, differ markedly, resulting in a pluralistic state with few shared values. A need for true federalism peaceful and prosperous in nigeria article pdf available november 20 with 9,748 reads how we measure reads.
Umoren and olokoyo 2007 studied merger and acquisition in nigeria. It is believed in some quarters that conflict is a good instrument for resolving crisis in the society provided that it is not allowed to escalate into violence. Analysis of performance pre and post consolidation of thirteen mega banks in order to consider if there had been improvements. One of the other crucial causes of ethnic conflict in nigeria is the introduction of sharia criminal legal system in some parts of northern nigeria. In this address to participants at the presidential retreat on peace and conflict resolution, held in kuru, jos, governor abdullahi adamu advocates the economic empowerment of disadvantaged nigerians to halt their manipulation by unscrupulous politicians and other powerful individuals. 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. 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. From the colonial times till date, leaders use ethnic biases to win election and divide the country. A study by a german academic says religious conflicts in subsaharan africa have been on the rise for decades. 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. Pdf ethnic conflict, democracy and good governance.
Communal conflicts in nigeria can be divided into two broad categories. A deadly ambush near the nigermali border on 4 october claimed the lives of at least five nigerien soldiers and marked the unprecedented killing of american forces in the region. Jan 24 reuters following is a timeline of religious and ethnic violence in nigeria over the last 10 years. Mar 10, 2014 modern nigeria emerged through the merging of two british colonial territories in 1914. That is exactly what we are facing now with the biafra region. But incidence of ethnic violence was different in varying country. Statement of problem bakassi peninsula is one of the boundary conflicts that attracted a lot of attention in african continent and international community.
Nongovernmental organizations ngos, conflict and peace. Why a terrifying religious conflict is raging in nigeria. Mar 10, 2010 sectarian conflict erupted most profoundly in 1967, when three primarily igbo eastern states seceded under the name republic of biafra, sparking a bloody threeyear civil war. It has been known to bring about all manner of outcomes from food shortages to prosperity. Resourcerelated conflict in nigeria revolves around oil with about 95% of violent conflict in nigeria since 1997 being. Until now, the analysis made in this paper has been guided by the medicodiagnostic method of inquiry, an analytical approach that seeks to avoid one of the commonly committed fallacies of the century jumping to a conclusion or making a hasty decision.
Aug 30, 2005 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. The attempt to break away ultimately failed, and nigeria reintegrated the igbo majority region in 1970. How effective is the federal character commission in nigeria. The roots of nigerias religious and ethnic conflict public radio.
This is not unconnected with the lucrativeness of local government system in nigeria. Ethnic conflicts are very common and they bring about damage to lives and properties. Federalism and groupbased inequalities in nigeria global centre. Hence, conflict is unavoidable in human affairs because society is formed on the basis of conflict and conflict resolution to move forward and make individuals in it better persons. An analysis of the conflict and cooperation 19702004 jonathan oluropo familugba department of history school of arts and social sciences college of education ikere ekiti, ekiti state post office box 1781 adoekiti post office ekiti state, nigeria. At a global scale, the conflict presents itself in a way where there is a large economic impact. Abstract conflict in local government administration has become not only visible in recent times bul volatile. Discussing conflicts in nigeria may require us to situate the clarification of the term conflict. This paper explored ethnic conflicts in nigeria and participatory democracy. Pdf ethnic crises and national security in nigeria researchgate.
Conflict management in nigerian construction industry. A symposium on religious conflict in nigeria may 8, 2007 nigeria is the largest country in the world with an evenly split population of christians. Nigeria s ethnic fulani herders are said to be the worlds fourth deadliest militant group the bbcs naziru mikailu asks who they are and what they are fighting for. A, deputy west africa project director jeanherve jezequel and research assistant hamza cherbib say that jihadist violence cannot be divorced from deeper intercommunal tensions related to local. Researcher matthias basedau says weak african states are a major cause. Most recent interethnic clashes in nigeria, according to osaghae and. Northern nigeria is little understood by those in the south, still less by the international community. Ethnoreligious conflicts, attributed to actors primarily divided by cultural, ethnic, or religious communities and identities, such as instances of religious violence between christian and muslim communities. Religious identity and conflict 3 countdown to the 2015 elections 9 conclusions 14 john paden religion and conflict in nigeria countdown to the 2015 elections special reportunited states institute of summary nigeria is by far the largest country in the worldwith a population of just over 180 mil. Causes and solution nigerians are very sensitive when it comes to their ethnic groups.
Ethnic conflict and sustainable development in nigeria. Timelineethnic and religious unrest in nigeria reuters. Religious conflicts in nigeria world socialist web site. Since nigeria is a circular state, it should not have considered imposition of islamic sharia law on nonmuslims. Civil conflict has been known to leave people with little or no time to practice farming hence causing food shortages. More fundamentally, preventing and resolving conflict in the far north will require far better management of public resources, an end to their distribution according to ethnic identity and jobcreating economic revival. Nigeria is a multiethnic and culturally diverse society that has witnessed conflicts. Nigeria suffers a variety of complex political problems including inequality, corruption, oil disputes, national disunity, and the boko haram insurgency. Poverty is at the root of some of the ethnic crises nigeria faces. A conflict is a situation between two or more people in which one person perceives that another person has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, holmes, 2010.
Niger has also become the home to hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the violence of both the boko haram insurgency in the lake chad basin, and the continuing conflict in northern mali. Ethnic struggles and conflicts in nigeria with timeline. Making sense of nigerias fulanifarmer conflict bbc news. This increased the frequency of group and individual interactions in a multiethnic polity, exacerbating the phenomenon of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts. Ethnic conflict and national stability in nigeria pdf.
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