Conflicts are a part of life for any country. However, they can be easily avoided through various ways. Nigeria is a country that is full of surprises and conflicts in different areas and regions. What are the causes of conflict in Nigeria? Let`s take a look at the top 5 types of conflict that you can see in Nigeria!
Top 5 major conflicts in Nigeria and their causes
1. Causes of Religious Conflict in Nigeria
Let's start by examining the causes of conflict in Nigeria from a religious perspective. The main reason for this is an intolerance between religious groups. The struggle between religious groups in Nigeria started in the middle of the 20th century. Before that, tensions between rivalry groups were covered and maintained by the colonial regime.
The first major conflict started on the 1st of May 1953. It was called the Kano Riot. This conflict led to a series of violent actions between Muslims and non-Muslims. The Muslims waged a violent war against representatives of other religions. The most obvious controversies happened during the proposal of Sharia law in 1999. It only sparked more controversies in the country.
Christians also created problems with violent attacks in Jos in the 1990s. However, their extreme groups were inferior to the numerous radical Muslims. The most obvious example of the radical Islam is represented by thre Boko Harm group on the North-East of Nigeria. When it comes to religious conflicts in Nigeria, the main cause is the intolerance towards representatives of a different religion.
Intolerance is the main cause of religious riots and conflicts not only in Nigeria but around the world. It divides countries. Therefore, Nigerian citizens are urged to understand and acknowledge each other and respect one another's religious views in order to prevent the country from falling.
2. Causes of Boko Haram Conflict in Nigeria
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The Boko Haram insurgency started in 2009. This Jihadist group was birthed by the religious tensions between Nigerians. At the first stages of its existence, they pretended to be peaceful followers of Islam. All this changed in 2009, when the Nigerian Police reports provided information that the group was arming itself.
During the investigation, some rebel group leaders were arrested. This sparked deadly clashes between the Nigeria security forces and members of the Boko Haram. The first terrorist act was sparked after the death of Boko Haram leader – Mohammed Yusuf. Today, the conflict between the government and Boko Haram has escalated to extreme proportions.
What caused this religious conflict in Nigeria? Boko Haram believes in the idea of creating a new Great Caliphate with Sharia Laws. Nigerian Government will not provide this possibility. Therefore, the tension will continue until the group is eliminated or pacified.
3. What are the causes of political conflict in Nigeria?
It`s hard to cover all the causes of political conflict in Nigeria, but let`s take a look at the most obvious ones:
- Corruption. This is one of the failures of the political system in Nigeria. You can choose whatever criteria for estimating corruption in the country and you will get the same results – Nigeria is on the list of top most corrupted countries. Corruption is something that can easily destroy the political system in Nigeria!
- Failure of Justice in Nigeria. People who are at the top of the political system of Nigeria can easily destroy the ones who are at the bottom. With no independent justice system in the country – the corrupted leaders will always have all the power!
- Poverty. This is referred to as regulated poverty – when people get enough money to eat and exist but have no idea how their future will be. Most people are more concerned about where their next meal is coming from instead of making sound political choices. The political leaders know this and take advantage of this desperation!
4. What are the causes of ethnic conflict in Nigeria?
The ethnic conflicts happen as a result of intolerance and inadequate relationship between the regions within the country. That is exactly what we are facing now with the Biafra region. This conflict has continually existed in the cold zone and has not been resolved in a long time.
The results are obvious, even a small spark can ignite a firestorm in Nigeria. If the Federal Government try to freeze this conflict again instead of resolving it, then the next generations will bump into the same problem.
5. Inadequacy in Nigeria as one of the causes of conflict in Nigeria
It`s hard not to rebel if you see how rich becomes richer and poor becomes poorer. Nigerians witness this inadequacy from generation to generation. With no social flexibility – the citizens of Nigeria may have only one option and that is to rebel. The elites also know this but they understand that if they share their power, they will destroy the balance created in the political system of the country.
Causes of conflict in Nigeria and some ways to resolving them
Are there ways to resolve these major issues? Some people might say that the only way to resolve these inner conflicts is a Revolution. Still, the beginning of the twenty first century showed that revolutions do not help. What really can help in the long run is the social acceptance between the citizens of Nigeria.
Acceptance should be promoted through the social and political justice between each other. The second option is to implement a real mechanism of fighting with corruption within the boundaries of the country. The third idea is acceptance between the citizens of this country. This acceptance may be achieved through a centralized policy of social, ethnic, religion and cultural acceptance. That`s how Nigeria will become a great country!
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ROSY CREST
Wednesday 6 September 2017