Nigeria is
usually characterized as a deeply divided state in which major political issues
are vigorously – some would say violently – contested along the lines of the
complex ethnic, religious, and regional divisions in the country (Robinson,
2001). The issues that generate the fiercest contestation include those that
are considered fundamental to the existence and legitimacy of the state, over
which competing groups tend to adopt exclusionary, winner-take-all strategies.
These include the control of state power, resource allocation, and citizenship.
As a consequence, deeply divided states tend to be fragile and unstable because
almost by definition, there are fewer points of convergence and consensus among
the constituent groups than are required to effectively mitigate or contain the
centrifugal forces that tear the society apart.
By virtue of its
complex web of politically salient identities and history of chronic and
seemingly intractable conflicts and instability, Nigeria can be rightly
described as one of the most deeply divided states in Africa. From its
inception as a colonial state, Nigeria has faced a perennial crisis of
territorial or state legitimacy, which has often challenged its efforts at
national cohesion, democratization, stability and economic transformation.
Religious
identities in Nigeria are usually classified into three – Christian, Muslim and
Traditional. Of the three, traditional religion is the least politically
active; numbering several hundreds of ethnic groups and subgroups, villages,
clans and kin groups; and, involving the worship of different gods and
goddesses. In parts of the Kogi, Kwara, and Nassarawa States, masquerade
activities associated with traditional religion have been a major source of
conflicts. However, Christian and Muslim identities have been the mainstay of
religious differentiation and conflict, with Nigerian Muslims much more likely
to evince or articulate a religious identity than Christians.
Underneath the
broad Christian-Muslim categories are several sub-cleavages that have at one
time or the other been politically salient or have the potential to be, and
have generated intra-group conflicts. Among Christians, there are several
denominations, including: the Protestants (Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and
Lutheran), the Catholics, the Evangelical Church of West Africa, the Seventh
Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a host of ‘home-grown’, ‘white
garment’ (Aladura and Celestial) and Pentecostal churches.
Muslims on the
other hand belong to different sects, including the Ahmadiyya, Sanusiyya,
Tijanniyya and Quadriyya, among which there have been conflicts. There are also
some umbrella organizations, which aim at the propagation of Islam. One of these
is the Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), which was founded by the Sardauna of Sokoto
in 1961. Following the Iranian Islamic revolution of the 1970s, there was a
surge of radical and fundamentalist activities especially among Muslim youths.
This was the context within which some fundamentalist Muslim sects, notably the
Maitatsine, Izala movement, the Muslim Brothers or Shiites, and most recently
the Talibans, Boko Haram, emerged to demand, amongst others: pursuit of Islam
based on Sharia law; the eradication of heretical innovations; and the
establishment of an Islamic state or theocracy. The activities of these sects
are major precipitant of the religious conflicts that proliferated Northern
Nigerian political landscape since 1980s till date. Most of these involve
conflicts between Muslims and Christians, with clear ethnic undertones, but
some especially those involving the Izala and Boko Haram, also entailed
anti-state mobilization.
The
resent emergence of the new terror group (Boko Haram) in Northern Nigeria has
affected negatively the political, economic, social and environmental situation
of the region and in extension Nigerian economy. The continuous killing and
destruction of lives and properties in Northern Nigeria in the name of Islam
has a negative effect on the economy of Northern States and Nigeria at large.
Economic activities have almost been grounded by series of terrorist attacks in
Borno and Yobe State, living people stranded, jobless and some refuges in their
homeland. Many businessmen, companies both local and foreign have left some of
these ‘worst hit’ States depriving government millions of tax revenue that
would have been collected if economic activities are booming. The government is
only left with diversion of money meant for development of the country and
improvement of living standard of people to heavy spending on security. Therefore,
negatively affecting the economy and living standard of people in the affected
States in particular and Nigeria in general.
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