Ethnic and Religious Conflict in Nigeria Essay

Basic all(prenominal)y, Nigeria is a plural guild and heterogeneous in most all the facet of life. The custom and impost of Nigerians is so diverse to the extent that Nigeria as a realm is instantly confronted with the fuss of credence and hea thuslyity towarfargonf ards their semi regimeal stability. The origin and muniment of heathenish interlocking (societal wars and violence) tummy be t washablesd from eternal (internal) state rivalry to discloseside(a) (physical). And its root cause is non really far from power competition and termi body politic making everywhere economic re root schemas and lay downer(a) important human detailor, like position.The instruction execution process has unendingly involved more(prenominal) than adept or two persons. In gen epochl concept, the author of this consummation traces bout bet on to the first and primaeval elderly of human account and ever since then, on that microscope stage has been an increase (in va rious dimensions) of Conflict in the face of human realness. Some argon personal (internal) impinge, family, community, and congregation, intellectual, state, show window and inter interior(a) in nature, to mention but few. In conform to this idea, Badawi (2006) in his statement titled public A mathematical function stated thus, indeed the sterling(prenominal) discord today is among the descendants of Abraham.These atomic number 18 the battalion of the book, the followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who had in fact shargond a super C inauguration in the worship of Abraham. In remove more light in the in a higher place statement, Badawi statement goes far beyond pietism, rather, he was tracing single of the earliest source of infringe which Badawi mentioned the off-springs of the give tongue to Abraham. Even in the lead Abraham, thither had been action, so it is as quondam(a) as human history waste to the Abrahamic check, to ancient kingdoms, Dukes, an d Kings. In intimately 88 B. C. , King Mithria equipment casualty VI of Pontus invaded Roman stain in Asian Minor.He informed Asian debtors to kill their Roman creditors. quick to reduce their credit card bills, the Asians massacred 80,000 Romans. Ethno- policy-making conflicts let greatly shaped our present human race and of course garb out its structural phenomenon, (William Easterly, 2001). For instances, the conflict we now call Israeli and Palestinian war, has been an ever-lengthening sort. The Assyrian, Babylonian war, by King Nebuchadnezzar of the suspension formation Garden in history, the Persia war, Alexander the capacious (the Macedonian mad man in history), the German war of Adolfs.Hitler, the Roman wars, confining all these down, we came to the horn of African spotless(prenominal) which mindm to be an epidemic orbit of conflicts of diverse kinds bank date. The giant-lion of African continent, unspoiled like the origin of conflict is tell to take over stated very aging in human history, withal so in the study of Nigeria, which can be traced to the colonial period of history. Conflict takes diametric sizes and shapes with diverse causalitys and purposes.Majority of the conflicts takes time onward their escalation and at such(prenominal), could consent been transformed recompense at their respective early stages. The history of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts in Nigeria is overly traced back to the colonial transgressions that cartd the ethnic mathematical groups of the Federal and southern provinces to become an entity called Nigeria in 1914. In the case of Nigeria situation, disturbing history of colonialism, this generated shame and conflict among diametric ethnic groups. The assign of addressing this seed of conflict planted by the British has been a complex one. replacesequently weakening the occasion diverse kingdoms, Emperors, etc.now called Nigeria and reordering the groups governance, the colonial powe rs failed in nation building and providing for the pecks basic needs. Hence, unemployment, poverty increase, and due to these, conflict over scarce imaginations ensue. The Southern and blue protectorates were also being amalgamated into a nation. Thereafter, the encounter of different colonies into one country called Nigeria was forcefully done without the heaps consent. This was a major(ip) seed of conflict that is hush troubling Nigeria today.This article is focused on the historical incidents of ethnic conflicts in at heart Nigeria societies, the cause of the conflicts and perhaps, the government actions towards ethnic conflict in the country. In conclusion, this paper volition explore into decision-making (by the elites and those in authority) process has contributed immensely in generating the syndromes of conflict in the said state. The Nigerian governmental situation has witnessed more breaking of matters, than counting them. In fact, rase when it has been conveni ent for heads to be counted, the outcome has always been the breaking of heads instead.Conflict in Nigeria is so intense because of lack of republican behaviour. The head of the individual in the democratic mount signifies citizenship. So when heads are broken in the Nigerian semi semi governmental community, the issue in respect of broken heads is citizenship. If conflict in Nigeria means the absence of democratic behaviour, it follows, therefore, that conflict in Nigeria is interwoven with the absence of democratic governance. Gurr (2000) has also shown that the incidence of conflicts at the spherical level declined in late days with the deepening of democratization.Nation-states where conflicts persist are those where what obtains is the democratization of disempowerment (Ake 1996). Beyond the veneer of elections, the state rest ambushed, privatised, re shrinkive and unpopular. The people who were tantalised by the first moment of a democratic revolution that would ign ore decades of alienation and pauperisation have been ill-judged changed and given a choice less commonwealth (Mkandawire 1999). The credibility gap which fostered the De-linkage of the people from the state, and ignited social forces to struggle for democracy, is non being bridged (Rothchild 1995 58).African peoples out of make up rational calculations sans atavistic attachments have saturnine their backs on the state and given their consignment to sub- interior(a) social formations such as the community, the sub nationality or ethnic groups (Ake 2000 114). It is against this backdrop that the proliferation and aggravation of uncultivated ethno- apparitional conflicts in Nigeria in the post-transition period can be appreciated. This article adopts an uninflected frame utilisation that holds that The interface between ethnicity and democratisation is found in absence of potent citizenship and good governance in post-transition societies.In the circumstance that democracy do es not go beyond the conduct of multi break downy elections to include receipts in the quality of life of the people, there is frustration, and people who already feel anomic from the state are vulnerable and credibly to be mobilised around counter-elites who exploit living popular alienation from the state by whipping up sectarian sentiments. This has been the case in Nigeria and several multi-ethnic states of Africa (Osaghae 1994).Although the precedent theoretical discussion has focused on ethnicity, the term ethno- unearthly is adopted because or so of the recent violent conflicts to be examined were triggered by religious issues. The relevance of righteousness is also underlined by the fact that in Nigeria ethnic boundaries lead to coincide with religious teaching, with the exception of the Yoruba ethnic group (Ibrahim 1999). The Nigeria state was amalgamated in the division 1914 by lord lugard. The various geographic areas or territory which was amalgamated to form Nigeria by the colonialist comprises of various cleavages, clans, towns blush out there were kingdoms and chiefdoms with diverse culture, language, organized theology, norms set, customs and semipolitical structures etc.The focus of the research monogram is to examine the fibre of religion and ethnicity in Nigeria nascent democracy. In Nigeria especially, religion plays a very resilient and influential piece in the society that has manifested itself as a potent force in the political development of the Nigerian state from pre-independence to post-independence. Hardly can the Nigerian state be talked about without recognition to religion (Kukah, 1994 Falola, 1990 Kenny, 2006 International IDEA, 2000 Suberu, 2009).However, religion in Nigeria, at different levels, is mostly mentioned in negative terms. Or rather, historical events cogitate to religion tilts more towards its negative than its constructive contribution to the Nigerian state. The Jihad, the civil war propagand a, the Sharia law controversy, the tensions provoked by the Nigerian accession to the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the incessant religious crises that have engulfed the Northern part in the first place indicate that religion cannot be ignored or wished external in the Nigerian political development. roughly(prenominal) religious crises have occurred in Nigeria.They have been documented as academic dissertations for some of them. This piece of work does not circumstanceise to start the discourse on religious violence anew but save recognizes the fact that as a continual phenomenon it is worth being explored further. Thus Boko Haram hazard which gained global recognition and even press support ranging from July 2009 till date is a the primordial focus of this study in concert with different riots which has engulfed the Nigeria state from 1999 till date which most Nigeria educated elite acceptd that religion and ethnicity were the basic causes.The educated e lite have conducted series of research on what the causes of this violent riots maybe. Most have concluded that it can be traced and linked to the failure of governance in Nigeria. 1. 2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS The faulting of 1914 has polarised the Nigeria society together with its citizens in which subjection to the State is a mirage instead people pay loyalty to their various families and ethnic groups the effect of this can be traced to 1967 civil-war which disintegrate the country or in the political system which intimately lead to climb-down of the country with the easterner believed to be the aggrieved ethnic in the war.Similarly Nigeria has a tenacious history of religious crisis which has affected the political instability of Nigeria. The maintasine riot of 1980 can be said to be the first major religious riot in Nigerian history, cl commenceing about 800 lives. The Boko Haram insurgence in the northern part of the country which has been directed mainly against the Chr istians, they have suffered a lot two physically, psychologically, economically, spiritually and even politically in the far North which has led political writers and pundits to affirm that Boko Haram conflict has its roots in faith.The thrust of this work pull up stakesing be to examine the underlying reasons behind political instability in Nigeria using religion and ethnicity as a paradigm. 1. 3 ambit OF THE hire. The study give cover the furbish ups of religion and ethnicity towards the stabilization or in- stabilization of the Nigeria political system it will cover how religion and ethnicity have impacted on the political stability of Nigeria. Furthermore the study will emphasize more on the role the government is playing in stabilize the un-stabilized country. 1. 4OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The following can be regarded as the aims and objective of the study 1.To fuck the sum of religion, ethnicity, political stability, and political instability 2. To know how religion a nd ethnicity have negatively impacted on Nigerian political development 3. To develop come-at-able solutions and panaceas to the problems of religions and ethnicity to Nigerian political in-stability 1. 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1 What meaning does religion, ethnicity and political instability carries 2 How has religion and ethnicity impacted on the political stability of Nigeria 3 what are the possible solutions to the problem of religion and ethnicity in Nigeria political system 1.6 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY Many a develop countries of the existence are currently experiencing the problems which ethnicity and religion have caused. The ethnic problem which led to the apartheid era in South Africa is also the selfsame(prenominal) ethnicity and religion problem which has almost disintegrated the Nigerian State. Recalling back to what happen during the civil war in the late sixties and early seventies which led to the introduction of the national youth service corp. by the then military pr esident General Yakubu Gowon which aim at integrating back the almost disintegrated country.Books, Journals, Magazines, Pamphlets, and lot of researches have been written and carried out respectively on the issue of ethnicity and religion, and its impact on the Nigeria political stability. This research work will serve as an surplus material to the issue on ethnicity and religion to political instability in Nigeria, this work will focus more on ethnicity and religion and its impact on Nigerian politics 1. 7RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology will be based on secondary coil data collections ranging from books, Journals Newspapers, News Magazines, Pamphlets and even the Internet.In conducting any research essentially there are two methodologies active by researchers which are the primary and the secondary methods. This research work will be basically conducted using the secondary methodology as earlier mentioned. 1. 8DEFINITION OF TERMS Ethnicity consort to the oxford advance learners dictionary ethnicity can simply mean the fact of belonging to a particular race from the dictionary meaning we can deduced the fact that Humans believed in race and they have passion for race which leads to humans ethnocentrism i. e. highly ethnocentric in nature.Ethnicity has a strategic interaction of persons and other actors, who have different mental pictures, attitudes, values and goals as they decide particular conflict the distribution of resources and habitual issues of political rules within a context of norms, expectations and institutions. Any of the rule, expectation and institutions may be reversed, maintained or inverted by the individual who win the right to regard them, in the course of those political negotiations that are sometimes called cooperation, and sometimes called war, and are unremarkably somewhere between the two.In some other aesthesis, ethnic identity are political resources just like money or vote. Instrumentalist like Micheal Banton and Micheal Hecthtar, argue that ethnic identity are not ingrained in group or socio-formation of people. They see ethnic identity as socio-capital brought to abide on the political negotiation panel by different groups and at different times. Hutchinson and Smith also argue that ethnic identity are an important resource that political Elite employ in securing the support of the masses as a strategy for gaining a desired good.These goods and or goals are measured in terms of wealth, power, and status and joining or national communities helps to secure these ends either by influencing the state, or in certain situations, through secession. Religion religion on its own part can be regarded as the belief in the universe of God or gods and the activity that are connected in the worship of them. Religion can also be stress further by meaning one of the system of faith that are based on the belief in the existence of a particular God or gods.For standard the Jewish religion, C hristianity Islam and other world religion. Furthermore in the classical and ancient ages religion has achieved a lot in their politics for exemplar the doctrine of Islam was used in many a(prenominal) Arab nations has their constitution even up till the present age. The Ancient Romans, also, during the time of Constantine current Christianity as a religion and a mode of life which also affected their political terrain.Religion in the 21 century is now used narrowly towards Christianity and Islam even though other religion still exist but the former two religion have majestic to prominence that other religion are now beneath them. For instance about Political stability can take in the mean of a system of politics in which the government of that State is experiencing a stable government and peaceful existence in the State or in otherworlds a legitimately true government by the people. Democratically governed States are believed to be stable.In the global sense every political e ntity must(prenominal) be ruled democratically without internal conquest or external aggression. Any country of the world that is free from the aforementioned point are regarded as stable political system in other language internal oppression has cause a lot of havoc to many democracies of the world which has infringed on their stability as mention by Ojo 2002. Descent Rule These covers a larger set of cases that we commonly deduct to be ethnic than the rules that ethnic groups must have a myth of common ancestry or common origin. save it excludes several cases in which individuals routinely trade themselves, and are considered as members, of a group that we classify as ethnic even when their parents were not coded as members of this group. Take for example the category Yoruba when it was invented in Nigeria in the ordinal century. At this time period, the parents of those who were classified as Yoruba were not themselves classified as Yoruba for the reason that this category did not exist during their lifetimes. gibe to Descent Rule, then, the category Yoruba in the nineteenth century would not be coded as ethnic. But the category Yoruba is universally coded as an ethnic category by all comparative political scientists, without making a distinction between time periods. As another example, consider the category retroflexed Caste in India, which included as members individuals who possessed a given set of last names and/or inheritable occupations. The category was introduced by the Indian important Government in 1990.Within a few years, 52% of the Indian world classified itself and was classified as backward. all the same the parents of those who termed themselves regressive Caste were not coded by themselves or by others as Backward Caste because, as in the case of the first generation of Yorubas, this category did not exist during their lifetimes Democracy According to Abraham capital of Nebraska he defines democracy as the government of the peo ple by the people and for the people.In this wise democracy connotes a system of government in which all the people in a country will have the outright say on the government of their country although in a representative manner meaning that they will elect representatives that will represent their concern in the government. march on countries if the world where democracy is practiced completely they have national identity as opposed to the developing world where they have ethnic identity.Advanced democracies always believe in secularism in which every religion is accepted and embraced not a system in which part will have cognisance to a religion and the other will believe in other religion make serious tension in such states like Nigeria. Federalism Elasar (cited in Akande, 19961) the formation of European essence (EU) which simply begun as a trading partnership for coal and steel is now moving towards a more integrated political union founded upon national principle of govern ance.The African union (AU) which is the federation of African counties where a central government intended to be created with overlap or division of power among the federating unit, even the world highest organization body get together Nation have in some little degree, evolved the principle of federalism. Federalism is a system of government which embraces unity in diversity. Federalism as a system of government is one in which there will be central and regional governments each one autonomous of each other.