ethnic and religious conflicts in nigeria

The fourth understanding is based on the perception that Boko Haram is utilised by the elites from the North to express their grievances over lack of interest demonstrated by the central government. Muslims, Christians and religious violence in Nigeria: Patterns and mapping (June 2006-May 2014). This competition over land and resources is compounded by religion and ethnicity herders are most members of the minority Fulani ethnic group and are generally Muslim. Broken families and the inability to make ends meet in many homes have led to an increase in the level of immorality while at the same time providing a reservoir of youths who readily take up arms to execute ethno-religious conflicts at a fee. Causes and management of ethno-religious conflicts: The Nigeria experience. It is generally accepted that the inefficacy of politicians in Nigeria at the points of good governance, national consolidation and economic development has caused political cleavages, social disintegration and massive unemployment (Kura 2010:36; Muasu 2011:19-20; Ogbeidi 2012:21). Prior to this, the Fulani people had migrated into the southwestern Nigeria region centuries ago. Most of these conflicts occur in the middle-belt and along the culturally borderline states of the predominantly Muslim North, and also take place between Hausa-Fulani groups and non-Muslim ethnic groups in the South (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:19). The roots of Nigeria's religious and ethnic conflict Another cause of the conflicts has been the states use of religion and ethnicity in political discourse or action. ethnic and religious conflict The minority groups comprising over 250 smaller ethnic groups have often been regarded as inconsequential in political contests. In this sense, though corruption is not peculiar to Nigeria, many sources call it the bane of the country (Dike 2005; Ogbeidi 2012:21). Green, M. Christian 2011. This makes the conflict in the North more interesting for the rest of the world and this is the main reason for the emphasis on the subject in this paper. While it has been suggested that about half of the population is Muslim, 4045% is Christian, and 510% In their quest to assume power and state resources, the elites constantly modify patterns of political domination. (PDF) Ethnic Nationalism and Ethno -Religious Conflicts: Setting From a socio-political perspective, identity bears a personal and a social meaning. 2002. 29 Ibid. Issue brief 3549. This deprives her of the much needed National Unity. This has been made possible through umbrella bodies such as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and the Catholic Bishops Conference (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:11). Bola Tinubu (2023-present) Muhammadu Buhari (201523) Goodluck Jonathan (201015) Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (200710) Olusegun Obasanjo (199907) The formation of dialects within languages was one of the ways in which ethnicity both small-scale and large-scale became fixed in Nigeria. The roots of Nigeria's religious and ethnic conflict. This is the idea behind the federal character principle in the Constitution to encourage balancing in political leadership positions and thereby douse any imminent ethno-religious tensions in the country. You can review our Privacy Policy and POPIA information, http://www.ijwp.org/2010/06/resolving-conflicts-in-nation-states/#more-258, https://archivocienciassociales.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/manuel_castells_the_power_of_identity_the_, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html, https://books.google.com.cy/books?id=orO0DRiPvGMC&pg=PA141&hl=tr&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false, http://www.africaeconomicanalysis.org/articles/gen/corruptiondikehtm.html, https://books.google.com.cy/books?id=nU5fOXojbT4C&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=an+average+Nigerian+is+very+religious&source=bl&ots=8MlQvK9_F-&sig=1u8hwlSHO-9AXIALFDyo5s3HcVc&hl=tr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM18DDpo_OAhUHLhoKHcxoDPEQ6AEIJjAC, https://books.google.com.ng/books?id=_o7WNA3iMKsC&printsec=frontcover&hl=tr#v=onepage&q=inventiveness&f=false, http://law.emory.edu/eilr/_documents/volumes/25/2/articles/green.pdf, https://www.hrw.org/news/2001/10/25/nigeria-soldiers-massacre-civilians-revenge-attack-benue-state, http://samples.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/9781134326945_sample_503404.pdf. It is possible to count Wahhabism, Salafism and Islamic fundamentalism as the basic items of the Boko Harams ideology. Ikelegbe, Augustine 2001. Religious conflicts in Nigeria. In a report published by Pew Research Center in 2010 the numbers from different sources are compared in the reports Appendix B. The appropriation of state resources by certain hands makes poverty and bitter anger inevitable aspects of daily socio-economic and political routine. In: Jega, Attahiru ed. Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and death toll resulting from ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. Religious conflicts in Nigeria These principles breed a number of outcomes. Political elites in Nigeria have always sought to reap advantages from the multidimensional identities, more so during electioneering periods, and this has resulted in conflicts and instability. November 4, 2022 This argument is based on the premise that in their competitive and non-competitive contexts, Nigerians tend to define themselves in terms of ethnic affinities as opposed to other identities (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:8). Ethnicity is natural in almost all societies made up of more than one ethnic group. These groups consisted of the Bangu, Sokoto, and Bororo Fulani. Washington, D.C., The Heritage Foundation. The question is: To what extent are conflicts emerging from ethnic or religious sources? One case that can be observed was when additional wreckage was pressed into farmers in the city of Iseyin after a group of Bororo Fulani were exiled from the city of Oyo and migrated there in 1998.[26]. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the fact that ethnicity is the most salient, and the large number of studies conducted on this issue, the total number of ethnic groupings in Nigeria remains unknown (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:9). Today, religious violence in Nsongola-Ntalaja, G. 2004. Of course, exceptions should not be overlooked for both parts of the country. In Nigeria therefore, there appears to exist a contentious interaction of politics, ethnicity and religions, which has resulted in an increased sense of belonging and militancy. June 23, 2023, Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: Religion and Technology, Virtual Event The government has been unable to destroy Boko Haram or end the local conflicts in the Middle Belt. And this situation provokes political tensions and cleavages among the ethnic groups. Ethno-religious Conflicts and the Elusive Quest for National Michelle Gavin, Ebenezer Obadare, and other experts track political and security developments across sub-Saharan Africa. Further, the economy remains in the doldrums, and the country now has the most people living in extreme poverty in the world. Ethnicity in Nigeria. And as among the Christians, the Muslims also have umbrella bodies which aim at propagating different understandings of Islam. 3. Shehu, Sani 2011. [23] This violence stems from the relationship between the Bororo Fulani and the Yoruba farmers. It is not clear what the police officers motives were; Boko Haram is active in Gombe but it seems that they were not involved. One group amalgamated with the Hausa people and are essentially integrated as Hausas while holding positions of wealth and power. Religious Violence spread to Jos plateau especially after a Christian was appointed as a Local Council Chairman. Nigeria: Soldiers massacre civilians in revenge attack in Benue state. Ethnic and Religious Diversity on Nigerias There are similarities between Boko Haram and other radical Islamist groups like Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Al-Nusra and the IS in terms of discourse and praxis. Preserving stability and accelerating growth. The new nature of nation-state failure. When this is coupled with easy acquisition of illegal fire arms, violence erupts more quickly and there is more difficulty in negotiating peaceful settlements. This meaning is extended to mean any western culture is prohibited. Identifying the perpetrators of atrocities in both countries is difficult. The Pentecostal churches form the fundamental division of Christianity in Nigeria which has experienced rapid growth in numbers of followers in the last few years with the majority of adherents, especially the youths, joining the church from the older and more traditional denominations. General studies in identity underscore the fact that identity implies similarity and contrast at the same time (Jenkins 2004; Okpanachi 2010). Even as the infamy was being put under check in Sagamu, reprisal attacks continued in Kano, in Hausa city, leading to deaths and destruction of property worth billions of Naira (Kura 2010:33-34). Boko Haram appears to be largely an indigenous movement, and there is little evidence of strategic or tactical cooperation between the Islamic State or al-Qaeda affiliates and Boko Haram, though they share a common belief system, are murderously hostile to Christians, and have exchanged various forms of communication, the significance of which remains unclear. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. Jack McCaslin is a research associate for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC. Web27 Lasse Heerten and Dirk Moses, Postcolonial Conflict and the Question of Genocide: The NigeriaBiafra War, 19671970 (New York: Routledge, 2018). RELIGION Religion and Conflict in Nigeria | United States Institute [25] However, the migration of the Bororo Fulani shifted this relationship as they were perceived to be more aggressive than the settled Fulani. It is often assumed that there exist stable identities in Nigeria and consistent group motives in the approach to ethnic politics (Rotberg 2002:88). The destruction of lives and property by reckless ethnic and religious extremists has been a challenging key factor to sustainable development in Nigeria. There have been different perspectives to the narrative about the problems of Nigeria, with insignificant efforts to solve the issues and strengthen the unity of the country. During such instances, the fighters kill indiscriminately Muslims and Christians alike. Nigeria is the most crowded African country with a population of about 182 million by 2015 (World Population Prospects 2015:21). Boko Haram: History, ideas and revolt, Soludo, Chukwuma C. 2007. In this sense, Nigeria, with the largest Christian plus Muslim population in the world, can be defined as a cleft country and then a test case of Huntingtons Clash of Civilisations thesis (Paden 2007; Olojo 2014:7). He has published scientific books and articles on regional conflicts, nationalism, the clash of civilisations, the Cyprus dispute, Turkish politics, political party systems, and political party discipline. Not least, Christians and Muslims are a tiny minority in Sri Lanka, a predominately Buddhist country, while in Nigeria, Christians and Muslims each constitute about half of the population. The different steps that individuals and groups take to express ethno-religious identity in Nigeria tend to complicate cleavages without showing strong peacebuilding drives. Pew forum on religion & public life. This research explores how hate speech drives ethno-religious conflicts and its The name of the group Boko Haram is loosely translated from the Hausa language to mean western education is sinful. [17] This notion has contributed to the migration of Fulani herdsmen from the North towards southwest Nigeria. He is a Senior Lecturer at Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Department of Political Science and at the Institute for Peace, Conflict and Development Studies department of the university. Traditional religions are the most politically inactive of the three groups, numbering several hundreds of ethnic groups and sub-groups, villages, clans and kin groups; and, involving the worship of different gods and goddesses (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:11). Ethnic Conflicts and Nigeria. pp. Conflict in Nigeria Is More Complicated Than Christians vs. Muslims, Dangotes Oil Refinery Central to Nigeria Meeting Its Production Goals. Ruby, Robert and Timothy S. Shah 2007. Global Health Program, Book RELIGIOUS CONFLICT IN NIGERIA: IMPACT ON NATION This observation tends to offer the suggestion that the interaction between different ethnic groups within a single political set-up generates ethnic identity. For example, Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), provides that the Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.. The Tiv youths captured them and slaughtered them one by one (Kura 2010:34-35). The results are wars fought under the pretence of being religious (Falola 1998). The same goes for Christians in the North, where the considerable number of Christians cannot be disregarded in any analysis of religious groupings in Nigeria. This, together with the absence of social control mechanisms and a high level of corruption, has stimulated ethno-religious conflicts. Omorogbe, S.K. Ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria: Causal analysis and proposals for new management strategies. Degree in Political Science. This is partly due to the rise of jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram. And this intensification can be seen as the main source of ongoing discrimination, subordination and domination in this country (Kura 2010:36). [citation needed] Furthermore, it is easier to herd animals in these open land spaces rather than in condense areas replete of bushes. While identities are somewhat stable, identity consciousness keeps on changing to reflect the fluctuating role of the identities and the swelling magnitudes (Jega 2000:11; Okpanachi 2010). World Population Prospects 2005. A high level of corruption and the looting of state resources is another serious and pandemic (Dike 2005) problem that makes all forms of conflict and trouble worse in Nigeria. Ethnic Politics and Conflicts in Nigeria: Theoretical Perspective Many Nigerians loosely blame diversity for most crises in the country, but skewed perceptions and attitudes toward diversity itself nurture the problem. One of these causes is the clashing interests of those in authority. Examining The Relationship Between Gross Domestic Moreover, Boko Haram has captured a territory in and around Borno state in the Northeast part of Nigeria in 2014. This politicisation of religious identities during contests for political office often lacks any sustaining unifying ideology. [31] Hence, herders and farmers take it upon themselves to solve the conflicts existing within the community which invigorates conflict. The Abet, also known as the Kachichere, are another subgroup of the Fulani. Muslims also belong to a number of sub-cleavages that include Ahmadiyya 12%, Sanusiyya 5%, Tijanniyya 3%, and Quadriyya 8% which have in turn been in conflicts. They do not reflect the views of the Wilson Center or those of Carnegie Corporation of New York. African countries have been affected the most by climate change globally. In conflicts of this nature occurring along the convergence of ethnic and religious lines, it is often very difficult to tell the differences between religious and ethnic crises because the dividing line between them is slimmer than thin. For instance, in Nigeria the ethnic factor is seen when political parties are formed and during elections. IFRA (Institut de Recherche franais en Afrique) e-papers, Olojo, Akinola E. 2014. Understanding the emerging trends of terrorism in Nigeria: A case study of Boko Haram and similar groups. 4. In this perpetually changing pattern of domination, fears and anxieties are bred that motivate an upsurge in struggle and intolerance (Ibrahim and Kazah-Toure 2003:18; Okpanachi 2010). As stated above, while some sources (Lewis and Bratton 2000) reveal the importance of ethnicity as a causal factor of cleavages, others (Ruby and Shah 2007; Pew Research Center 2010; Green 2011) underline religious identities as a more determinant element in the perception of difference. Identity has been a significant aspect of the Nigerian political process, during the colonial period and in the post-colonial era. The church has played an important role in civil society in anti-military struggles and democratisation. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (201415) Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. This is most appealing in the selection of political leaders at all levels, and sharing of other sensitive positions. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive Weba particular religion and how this partisanship fuels fundamentalism, fanaticism and conflicts. Background Nigeria is a diverse country manifested by culture, religion, ethnicity, language, climate, occupation, and education. Therefore, breakdown, breakaway, civil strife, civil war, minority nervousness, and violent clashes, all of which would typically be regarded unusual in normal states are common forces or actual occurrences in divided states (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:4). Yahaya, A. This study in one sense has tried to look at the emergence of identities and their impact on the conflicts in the most crowded African country, Nigeria. For example in the Kafanchan-Kaduna crisis in 1987, a conflict occurred between Christian and Muslim students from different ethnic groups, and the violence spread to some other regions. Oftentimes, self-definition of identity overlaps with role expectations, but identities are more stable springs of meaning than those social roles. There is also an important criminal elementinvolving bandits and cattle rustlers. Indeed, the smaller number of Christian deaths at the hands of Boko Haram likely reflects the fact that most of them have fled. There has never been a joint ticket by one religious faith until political parties unveiled their presidential aspirants and the running mates ahead of the 2023 general elections. 28 Innocent Chiluwa, A Other recent ethno-religious conflicts include the July 1999 conflict among the Oro cultists in Sagamu in Ogun state who claimed that the Hausa women had come outside when the cultists were outside with their gnome. Pew Research Center. No link is provided, but the Council on Foreign Relations Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) documented an attack in Numa Kochu, resulting in the death of a pregnant woman and several children. However, the territorial control of the group has been removed by the Nigerian army in 2015. Some argue that allowing the dominance of a particular religion in national leadership will reinvent a type of politics that provokes indignation and segregation, which appears to be a major cause of conflict. Due to their tendency to spread into other areas after an early stage in one area, ethno-religious conflicts have gained notoriety as the most violent crises in Nigeria. by Olivia Angelino, Thomas J. Bollyky, Elle Ruggiero and Isabella Turilli Firstly, it refers to a long history characteristic of Northern Nigeria and the continued radical Islamic movements. Another conflict the Bororo Fulani have been involved with was in 1804 when the Fulani had a Holy War between those who identified as Muslim and resonated with the Hausas and those that were still associated with the Pagan tribes. WebWith over 400 ethnic groups, distributed among the two major religions (Christianity and Islam), Nigeria since independence, has produced a catalogue of ethno religious

Mother's Day Hallmark Card Messages, Chaffey High School Deaths, Nebraska Legislature Members, Major General In Trafalgar Square On Guy Fawkes Night, Ct Snowfall Totals By-town 2023, Articles E