Ethnic Militia And National Integration In Nigeria

Ethnic Militia And National Integration In Nigeria

This exploration is on the issue of Ethnical Militia and National Integration in Nigeria with the conditioning of the movement for the fruition of the autonomous state of Biafra as a study case. The issues of ethnical Militancy and National Integration have come subject of recreating decimal since Nigeria returned to popular rule in 1999. Prior to this period, successful administrations had battled with the perpetration of colorful programmes intended to resolve the associated issues fuelling race and identity extremity that has been hanging the country’s concinnity and public integration since independence. Government at the centre on colorful occasions embarked on programmes as well as formulated different programs towards resolving these contending issues which were to no mileage in consummation of similar leading to the conformation of colorful ethnical regulars by contending groups whose conditioning aggravated identity extremity, ethnical diversity which in all nonstop to hang the demanded concinnity and public integration. counting on both secondary and primary sources of data and the relative privation theoretical frame, the work set up out amongst others that conflict can be used to express the feeling of marginalization in the society. More so, there’s suggestion that marginalization of some ethnical groups who are part of the being state arrangement coupled with the division of the nation along ethnical lines can not insure public integration and development demanded in Nigeria. Grounded on the below finding, the work recommends amongst others that the Nigerian government should set up a high- position Peace and Reconciliation Commission to engage withpro-Biafra groups with a view to contriving an effective approach to the resolution of the agitation for Biafra. The commission should also take over consultations with state governments and other applicable stake holders with a view to encouraging them to buy into the peace action and identify the specific part they would play in the conciliation process.

CHAPTER ONE

preface

Background of the Study

Nigeria, a autonomous state withmulti-ethnic groups was composite in 1914 by Fredrick Lugard, the also Governor- General of the Federation. Prior to this period, each ethnical group was administered by traditional autocrats with introductory provision for the actuality of effective organs of government in expression and prosecution of government programs which the people freely embraced. According to Anifoweshe( 2000), thepre-colonial riles in Nigeria promoted strong government that averted race and identity extremity among different ethnical groups that made up the composite state. The 1914 admixture still gestured eventual preface of circular rule system of administration which to some extent promoted concinnity and public integration among the chauvinists of different ethnical groups of the composite possessions.

likewise, the spirit of brotherhood among pre independent nationalist leaders ultimately led to successful independence of Nigeria in 1960 with inception of the first democracy which also promoted the demanded concinnity and public integration in Nigeria until 1966 when both the military achievement and the Igbo butchery led to the collapse of public concinnity and marginalization of some ethnical groups in socio, political and profitable distribution by the ruling elite despiteGen. Gowon’s protestation of 3Rs and “ no victor ” and “ no subdued ” programs of government shortly after the civil war. The goods of non committed perpetration of the programs in Nigeria is the cause of instability, race and the public identity extremity that redounded to the conformation of colorful ethnical regulars that’s moment hanging concinnity and public integration in Nigeria Anifowoshe( 2000). Since 1999 when the country returned to popular governance, the script of the ethnical host and insurrection has come woeful, gauging from the North, East and South. The emergence of colorful ethnical groupings clamouring for equity in the sharing of public coffers had been attributed to the feeling of marginalization which the groups believe had been going for times without being addressed. This is especially so, in the Niger Delta region, where utmost of the oil painting coffers of the country are located and the colorful ethnicities within the region feel they had been suddenly changed in the distributional coffers which redounded to the conformation of different ethnical regulars in the Niger Delta area.

According to Okumagba( 2009), those who supported similar host groups, justify their actuality on the base of the fact that the region being the position of utmost of the wealth of the nation, need to demand for fairness and equity in the allocation and distribution of the public wealth. But unfortunately, the dysfunctional nature of the Nigerian civil state, which hadn’t conceded the donation of the region to the public wealth, had thus been a source of frustration to the groups performing in their violent conduct that’s treating public concinnity and sustainable profitable development.

In south- west Nigeria, the foundation of ethnical regulars can be traced to the dissolution of June 12 1993 election which was generally believed to be won by Chief M K O Abiola after numerous unprofitable attempt by Chief Obafemi Awolowo which was also believed to be denied the assess to power by the Northern oligarch because of his uncompromised principles on public issues. The after redounded in the conformation of Odua People’s Congress( OPC) and Renew Agbekoya Parapo with main end of guarding the Yoruba interests among the commission of nations encyclopedically.

In the North, interestingly the Arewa People’s Congress( APC) representing the interest of the North has not been blatant as the other groups in asking for separate actuality for the singular reason that the North has been in control of political power inNigeria.However, the APC works to spoil the separatist agitation of other groups, If anything. It’s the belief of the other groups that the North has served further than any other group from the Nigerian design, having been in control of state power and the largesse accruing from it. Also, the conditioning of Boko Haram side which have claimed millions of live in the region can not be left out. The Obatse Cult conditioning in Nasarawa state in North Central Nigeria remain so unpredictable. Inversely, the competitions with security labor force and the deliberate vandalism of public serviceability by both ethnical regulars and insurrection seriously undermine the safety of lives and parcels. Thereby breeding fear and sense of instability on the crowd. This has impacted negatively on the demanded concinnity and public integration which the country’s founding fathers courteously worked for( Ikyase and Egberi, 2015).

It’s against this background to challenges of public concinnity this study seeks to unravel the miracle of race and ethnical regulars in Nigeria as the foremost- occasion and also design indispensable result to what has denied the country the anticipated concinnity and integration among colorful ethnical ethnicities that compose it. The study is divided into five chapters starting with chapter one, the background of the study. The chapter two bandied some abstract issues related to the content under review while chapter three examines the exploration styles used in collecting data. The fourth chapter is donation, interpretation and discussion of results and chapter five is devoted to summary of our findings, conclusion and recommendation for farther studies.