Keywords
Ethnicity
Insurgency
National integration
Nigeria
How to Cite
Abstract
Nigeria is a plural and segmented society in all its ramifications. The federation is composed of people with different ethnic, religious, racial and cultural backgrounds. This heterogeneous composition of the state has been responsible for the internal conflicts. The thrust of this study is an analysis of how Boko Haram insurgency posed as a potential challenge to Nigeria’s national integration. Therefore, the study seeks to explain and analyse the nature and character of Nigerian state prior to independence. It argues that, in the quest for national integration, the nation contends with the problem of integrating her numerous and diverse ethnic groups that constitute the federation. Methodologically, the study adopts Social Identity Theory as its theoretical framework while relying on secondary sources as methods of data collection. In realistic context, the study establishes that, the internal conflict experienced by Nigeria since independence was as a result of poor socio-political, economic and ethnic cleavages caused by failed leadership. It concludes that, the state of insecurity in Nigeria, no doubt, threatened the very fabric of national integration and created the ecology of fear, disquiet and anxiety. To solve these problematic issues, it recommends that, national integration will be a mirage, unless and until, the political culture is well nurtured, intensive and extensive public enlightenment campaign is embarked on, adequate national orientation, education is achieved when youth empowerment scheme is put in place and poverty problem is solved.
References
Aboyade, O. (1976). Issues in the development of tropical Africa. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
Aderinto, A. A. (2014). Insurgency as a security challenge to the Nigerian nation: management perspective. A paper delivered at the 1st Anniversary Public Lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Ede Chapter, July 17, 2014.
Agbaje A. A. B. (1999). Electoral administration in Nigeria, in Ayoade, J. A. A. (ed). Handbook of Election Monitoring in Nigeria. Ibadan: Vantage Publishers.
Ajah, M. (2011).How to end Boko Haram fire – back http://thewillnigeria.com/opinion/897.
Ake, C. (1967). A theory of political integration. Homewood: Durvey Press.
Albert, I. O. (2017). Beyond Nigeria’s Sambisa: Forests, insurgency and counter insurgency in Africa. University Lecture. Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press.
Anyaoku, E. (2001). South Africa and the challenge of diverse pluralism.A Convocation Lecture delivered at Rhodes University, South Africa, Published in ThisDay Newspaper, Lagos , 16 April, 2001.
Arazeem, A. A. (2005). Combating political violence in Nigeria: Issues, prospects and problems, in Alanamu, A. S. (ed). Issues in Political Violence in Nigeria. Ilorin, Nigeria: Hamson Printing Communications.
Austin, P. K. (2010). One thousand languages: Living endangered, and lost. California: University of California Press.
Awolowo, O. (1968). The Peoples Republic. Ibadan: OAU Press.
Campbell, J. (2014). Executive Summary. Norway: Norwegian Peace Building Resource Center.
Duverger, M. (1976). The study of politics. Hong Kong: Nelson’s Political Science Library.
Emerson, R. M. (1962). Power-dependence relations. American Sociology Review (27).
Emily, A. G & Nadine, F. M. (2007). Religious social identity as an explanatory factor for associations between more frequent formal religious participation and psychology well-being. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 77 (15), 223 – 247.
Ezeh, O. C. (1998). Africa: Democracy, governance and development: The challenge of African development. CASS Tributes & Essays in Honour of Professor Claude Ake. Lagos.
Frank, I. (1968). Why federalism fail: An enquiry into the requisites for federalism. New York: New York University Press.
French, W. L. & Bell, C. J. (1992). Organizational development: Behavioural science interventions for organizational improvement. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall (PVT) Ltd.
Friedrich C. (1963). Federalism: National and international. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hogg, M. A. Terry, D. J. & White, K. M. (2016). A tale of two theories: A critical comparison of identity theory with social identity theory. Social Psychology Quarterly58(7).
Ibidja, S. W. &Doda, R. (2007). Political parties, voting pattern and national integration; in, Jega, A & Ibeanu, O. (eds). Elections and the future of democracy in Nigeria. Nigeria: A Publications of the Nigerian Political Association.
Ikime, O. (1985). In search of Nigerians: Changing patterns of inter-group relations in an evolving nation state. Ibadan, Nigeria: Impact Publishers.
Iorhen, K. J., Terson, A I & Member, G. (2014). The activities of armed groups and the challenges of insecurity in Nigeria. African Journal of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(1): 72-87.
Javaid, U. (2010). Resistance and its progression to insurgency. Journal of Strategic Studies, xxx(1&2), Spring and Summer.
Jinadu, A. (1979). A note on the theory of federalism. Lagos: NIIA.
Jinadu, A. L. (2007). Explaining and managing ethnic conflicts in Africa: Towards a cultural theory of democracy. Claude Ake Memorial Paper Series (CAMP) No. 1, Uppsala: The Nordic Africa Institute.
Katsina, A. M. (2011). Boko Haram, Nigeria and sub-regional security in Nigeria. Journal of International Affairs, 37(3), September – December.
Marchal, R. (2012). Boko Haram and the resilience of militant Islam the Northern Nigeria. Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF) Report, June.
Narrated by Muslim in al-Sahih: Kitab al – Zakat, chapter: The Encouragement to kill the Kharijites, 2:748 #1066; Abu Dawud in al-Sunani Kitab al-Sunna, Chapter: ‘On fighting the Kharijites’, 4: 244 #4768.
Nleme, C. O. (2011). Mobilizing security and protective services to suppress violence and commodity, in Ogundipe, O. A. Akinade, A &Omoegun, M. (eds.). A Book of Proceedings on Religions cum Ethnic Violence in Nigeria. Security and Socio-economic Perspective. University of Lagos: Institute of Security.
Nnoyelu, N. A. U. (1977). Ethnicity, national interest and national integration in Nigeria, in Ojiakor, N. & Chukwu, G. W. (eds.). Nigeria socio-political development: Issues and problems. Enugu: John Jacob Publishers.
Odunuga, S. (1999). Nigeria: A victim of its own success, in Adedeji, A. (ed.). Comprehending and mastering African conflicts: The search for sustainable peace and good governance. London & New York: Zed Books Ltd.
Olaoye, O. E. (2012). Government and politics for Nigerian students. Ondo State: Extajo Image Home.
Onyekakayah, L. (2014). Hypocrisy in seeking global peace. The Guardian Newspaper, Tuesday, August 19.
Oritsejafor, A. (2012). F. G. Boko Haram talk senseless. Daily Sun Newspaper, 26, March.
Saliu, H. A. (2016). Nigerian foreign policy under the fourth Republic. Ilorin, Nigeria: African Centre for Peace Research, Empowerment and Documentation (ACPRED).
Sani, G. (2012). Nigeria in 2012: Crisis and Reforms.
Suberu, R. T. (1998). States creation and the political economy of Nigerian federalism, in Amuwo, K. etal. (eds). Federalism and political restructuring in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited and IFRA.
Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar (2013). Blames leader’s for Nigeria’s woes. Daily Independent Newspaper, 1 July.
Tayfal, H. (1972). The social categorization. Journal of Psychology, 1.
Turner, J. C. (1982). Towards a cognitive redefinition of social group, in Tajfel, H. (ed.). Social identity and intergroup relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weiner, M. (1965). Political integration and political development, in Tinkle, L. & Gable, R. W. (ed.). Political development and social change. London: Oxford Press.