INFLUENCE OF RELIGION AND ETHNICITY ON SOCIAL COHESION IN NIGERIA

INFLUENCE OF RELIGION AND ETHNICITY ON SOCIAL COHESION IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Today, Africa is laced with some of the most obstinate conflicts, most of them constructed from differences in religious and ethnic identities. Religious and ethnic nationalism has led to conflicts about control of state power, unequal allocation of resources, citizenship issues, state collapse, economic decline and ethno-religious clashes. Nigeria has been pushed hither and thither by recurrent crises of regional or state illegitimacy, often impairing efforts at economic transformation, democratisation, national cohesion and stability (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:4).

Several reasons have been dished out as catalytic to the orgy of ethno-religious conflagrations in Nigeria. Ethno-religious entrepreneurs who fan the embers of violent ethno-religious crises in the past are evidently mobilizing negative ethnicity, religious schism, whip sentiments and pitch one ethno-religious group against another. Also, competitive partisan political activities are used as avenues through which groups are mobilized, identities rigidly reinforced, often infused with excessive religiosity. Furthermore, a large proportion of the youth who are able-bodied but idle, unemployed, frustrated and aggrieved with the social system are willing and ready to be recruited and mobilized to engage in violent ethno-religious conflicts because such offer them the opportunity to break into public and private property and cart away whatever they can find (Imobighe 2003B: 10). In addition, the recurrence of the violent conflicts has been blamed on significant gap in the inability of the security agencies to guarantee security of lives and property as well as bring those responsible for the conflict to book. Expectedly, the trend, dimension and casualties associated with the circle of violent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria have generated serious concern locally and internationally. The orgy of violent conflicts apart from being condemned by all has generated calls from the local and international arena on the need to address it. The phenomenon of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria has generated sustained academic interest evident in the number of extant literature in relation to the issues. The nature, scale, forms, propellants and consequences of ethno-religious conflicts have been examined. For example, Kukah (1993: 7-10) examined the nexus between religion, politics and power in Northern Nigeria. Onuoha (2005: 12-14) appraised the nature of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. Odey (2005: 5) examined the implications of religious crises for democratic Process in Nigeria. Saadu (2004: 7) has analyzed the current trends of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. Fayeye (2006: 13-14) reviewed inter-religious conflicts in Nigeria. This research paper seeks to examine the relationship between religion, ethnicity and conflict in Nigeria, focusing  on it’s impact on national development.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 

• Background to the Study

 

It is a truth that thousands of Nigerians have lost their lives in ethno-religious conflicts across the country since the beginning of democracy in 1979. The number of those injured triples the dead, while those displaced are put at million. Umar, (2009), Onabanjo (2011) examine that conflicts have also hindered genuine economic development and national integration. Many years after Nigeria’s independence there has been raising serious concerns on the unity of the nation. It is observed that the ethno-religious conflicts has been an obstacle to progress, economic prosperity, and peaceful co-existence and over all socio-economic development of Nigeria because of its destructive tendencies. Nigeria is populated by the adherent of Christians, Islam and African traditional religion. However, the adherents of three religions, especially Muslims and Christians are often engaged in conflicts, leading to loss of lives and properties. A day hardly passes without the adherents of these two religions engaging in one crisis, or the other. This has led to suicide bombing, loss of innocent citizens and property (Amadu, 1989). Even if there is a seeming peace, the relationship between the Muslims and the Christians is marked with mutual suspicion and distrust. These religious conflicts are more frequent in the North and they sometimes give birth to reprisal attacks in Eastern part of Nigeria. Many have attributed the recurring spate of religious crisis in Nigeria to the strove and functioning of Nigerian Federalism.

Conflicts in Nigeria particularly, ethno-religious conflicts have affected the growth and development of communities and people in particular and economy in general. Many lives have been cut short, properties worth millions of naira destroyed innocent Nigerians displaced and turned refugees in their father’s land. Farmers have deserted their farm land as a result of violence, the artisans can no longer work due to instability and violence. This problem has not only crippled economic activities but has also debarred sustainable development. The effect of these ethno-religious conflicts creates poverty, joblessness, low productivity, low income and poor infrastructural facilities. In 1979, the Federal Government in an attempt to resolve, promote unity among the various religious ethnic groups in Nigeria, established the National Youth Services Corps (N.Y.S.C.) and some Federal Institutions to ensure cohesion among its religious ethnic groups. Despite these various attempts by the government, not much has been achieved in terms of peaceful co-existence amongst the various religious groups and economic development. In view of this, the paper examines the effects of religious crisis on economic development with a view to finding lasting solution capable of addressing this avoidable problem.

Nigeria is a known to be the giant of Africa and a prime mover on the African continent and the entire world. The nation, which is fondly called the giant of Africa, is the most populous and potentially one of the well-endowed nations with plenteous natural resources on the African continent. Based on the 2006 population and Housing Census report, its population is put at over 144 million. It is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse nations. It comprises multi-ethnic nationalities put between 250 and 450 (Idahosa 1997, Aghemelo and Osumah 2009: 208-239). Some of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria are larger than many independent states in Africa. At the early 1960s, of the estimated 3,000 ethnic groups in the world about 1000 were represented in Africa and about 445 in Nigeria (Alkali: 1997: 10). Of the numerous ethnic groups, there are three dominant ones. These are the Hausa/Fulani in the Northern region, the Igbo in the Eastern region and the Yoruba in the Western region. Other minorityethnic groups include Kanuri, Tiv, Edo, Isoko, Nupe, Ibibio, Jukim, Gwari and Igbira. The three dominant ethnic groups have been the net beneficiaries of the political power at the national level,(Imobighe 2003A: 10). The overwhelming majority of the orthern population is muslim, which estimated to comprise? over 50 per cent of the total population. Christianity is strong’ in the southern region, accounting for perhaps 35 per cent of; the total population of the country while the balance of the population remains animists (Dibie 2000: 5).

The challenge of managing Nigeria’s ethnic plurality has not been an easy task. The ethnic problem has posed a number of threats to the legitimacy of the national

government and its ability to offer leadership appropriate to the demand of nation

building. The mobilization of ethnic sentiments and solidarity seeking to gain or retain relevance has fueled anxiety, suspicion, fear of domination and outright conflicts (Osumah and Okor 2009:146-174).

Granted that conflict is an inevitable phenomenon in social setting and thus, not peculiar to any part of the world, developed or developing country, its nature dimension, consequences and management vary from one country to another. Nigeria is one of the nations in the world whose political landscape has been inundated, suffused with and deeply enmeshed in spectrum of recurring complex conflicts ranging from resource, political, communal, to ethno religious conflicts (Jega2002: 35-38). Ethno-religious conflagrations have severally drawn the country to the precipice of disaster. It has engendered huge human carnage, internal displacements and refugee conflicts, loss of investments, strained inter-communal or inter-ethnic relations, threatened internal security and public order. There is the high level of inter-ethnic and inter-religious vendetta in the country, to the point that it seems that Nigeria is now exhibiting the symptom of a collapsing state, whose members are perpetually at war with one another (Imobighe 2003A: 10). Thus, the recurring ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria have become matter of great concern to the international community. On account of the nature of the conflicts among other security threats in the country, United States National Council Intelligence Report on May 28, 2005 predicted that the nation may explode (disintegrate) within 15 years (Agbaje 2005: 6). Indeed, the nation has undergone series of profound revolutions and recurrently seeking ways to manage her perennial and complex problem of ethno-religious conflict. Several efforts such as deployment of huge security operatives and setting of probe panels have been made to manage the perennial conflict but with little or no, positive transformation.

Nigeria is usually characterized as a deeply divided state in which major political issues are vigorously and or violently contested along the lines of the complex ethnic, religious, and regional divisions in the country (Smyth and Robinson, 2001). 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 (Osaghae and Suberu, 2005). 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 (Maier, 2000).

The high point of the conflicts seems to have been the civil war in the late 1960s, which ensued shortly after independence in 1960. Since Nigeria’s transition to civilian rule in 1999 there has been a rapid increase of conflicts in the country.

Following these development, members of different ethnic nationalities have become aware of their separate identities because of the sporadic occurrence of episodic social interpretation of intergroup relations (Sanda, 1999). These communal communal and ethno-religious conflict have led to the formation and operations of several militia groups prominent among them include, IPOB, Boko Haram, Bakassi Boys, Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Oodua People Congress (OPC), Egbesu Boys, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People 1(MOSOP), Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND). These Militia groups have become an enclave for the army of jobless youths (Alegbeleye, 2014).

Ethno-religious conflicts is a common phenomenon in the world history and there is hardly any race that has not at a particular point of time experience it. The world religious holy books, the Quran and the Bible, recorded how our fore-fathers in the past went through either ethnic crisis, religions conflicts or ethno-religious conflicts at various point in recent time. This is to tell us that ethno religious crisis is neither peculiar to Nigeria nor a phenomenon of recent origin (Omoregbe, 2002).

Ethnic and religion sensitivity, since the Nigeria independence, have continue to threaten the development, continue co-existence, peace and unity of Nigeria as members of one sovereign democratic state. In recent history, there are only few states in Nigeria that have not in one way or another witnessed one form of ethnic or religion conflicts.

When a country is conflicts free, then such country will definitely witness a development. Ethnicity has to do with group differentiated from the main population of a community by racial origin or cultural background. Gould and kilb, (1956) and Nnoli, (1978) refer to ethnicity as a social formation distinguished by communal traits of their boundaries. The relevant communal factors may be language, culture or both culture and language. This means that an ethnic group will have a specific territory within a policy, demarcating it from other groups. Using Nigeria as an example, one can point to the Yoruba in the western Nigeria, the Hausa in the northern Nigeria, Igbo in the eastern Nigeria and Ogoni in the southern Nigeria as the major ethnic group in the country.

From the chronological view of the concept of ethnicity, Joireman, (2003) holds that: ethnicity did not come into common usage until the latter part of the twentieth century it is a term that is strongly contested in academic literature. Regarding the term to nationalism, Joireman maintained that: ethnicity is a beginning manifestation of identity.

Religion is the set of beliefs, feelings, dogmas and practices that define the relations between human being and sacred or divinity. A given religion is defined by specific elements of community of believers: Dogmas, sacred books rites, worship, sacrament moral prescription, interdicts organization. The majority of religions have developed starting from a revelation based on the exemplary history of a nation of a prophet or a wise man who taught an ideal of life (atheisme.free.fr/ religionandbeliefs.visitedon1stmarch, 2019).

Almost every human being believes in a Supreme Being (with different local names), who controls the universe – the seen and the unseen worlds. He sets a moral standard to be attained by man and capable of punishing man here and hereafter et cetera. The endeavour of man to please the Supreme Being, especially to secure a favourable place for himself hereafter is known as religion. It emanates from innate tendency and hence personal because one is free to believe or to disbelieve (Olayiwola, 2011).

Therefore, religion can also be said as consisting of institutional system of beliefs, value and symbolic practices which provided group of main solution to these questions of ultimate meaning of death, difficulties, suffering et cetera. This determination sees religion as social institution. From my own point of view, religion is a belief in the existence of a supernatural being known as God who made heaven, earth and the entire inhabitant there in (Samari, 2016).

Nigeria is a religiously pluralistic nation where everyone is free to embrace which ever religion that appealed to him/her, be it Islam, Christianity or African traditional religion. From time immemorial, man has always felt an inner urge to worship and it is this that led to the production of mosaic of beliefs, attitude and practices. Throughout history, religion has been seen as a universal institution which entails a set of basic beliefs and practices.

Religion in all society is said to provide a healthy terrain for functional and vibrant society and is often regarded as a living thing by scholars and any living thing is very much interested in what is happening in the environment. More so, every religion in any environment preached peace, with oneself, peace with other and peace with God. Unfortunately, there is hardly any peace in our society today (Okwueze, 2003). The history of religion cannot be separated from the attendant conflict that follows it from time. All these observation made by Nnoli are very noticeable in Nigeria society which generates divisive and socio-economic competitions which have anti-social effects.

Religion on the other hand is such prominent feature in human society that it cannot be simply ignored. World history would be incomplete without reference to it. Religion is as old as mankind and will in all probability remain for as long as man exist, (Omoregbe, 2002). To be able to give a definition of religion that is universally acceptable is difficult if not impossible task. The reason for this could be traced to the vastness of the discipline whereby it permeates all aspects of lives and allows for individual opinion, (Osibodu, 2000).

Etymologically, religion is derived from three Latin words namely ligare meaning to bind, relegere meaning to unite and religio meaning relationship. Therefore, religion can be said something that unites man with transcendent being a deity, believed to exist and worshipped by man; man and God, (Omoregbe, 2002).

Conflicts is an emotional and physical response to some precipitating event or series of events that disrupts our normal day-to-day functioning. Everyone experiences a crisis now and then, some experts say that we can only grow and develop through resolving the normal developmental crises that are part of being human (www.mic.ul.ie.>documents>8crisis management.visitedon1stmarch, 2019). Development is not purely an economic phenomenon but rather a multi-dimentional process involving reorganization and reorientation of entire economic and social system. Development is a process of improving the quality of all human lives social economic, political and human development (www.uu00idata.org>course>sns}. Development also could mean the improvement in people’s lifestyle through improved education, incomes, skills development and employment (Adeniyi, 1993). National development is the process by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people. The term has been used frequently by economists, politicians, and others in the 20th and 21st centuries. The concept, however, has been in existence in the West for centuries. Modernization, Westernization, and especially industrialization are other terms often used while discussing national  development. National  Development has a direct relationship with the environment. Essentially, National development is a policy intervention that aims at improving the economic and social well-being of people. It is the process of economic and social transformation based on cultural and environmental factors. National development therefore has to do with social and economic development in any nation. It is measured with indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), life expectancy, literacy and levels of employment (Okonjo-Iweala and Osafo-Kwaako, 2007).The need for a religious tolerance among the different religious adherents is and remains relevant in the sustenance of the socio-economic development of the country. Without peace there could be no any meaningful development that is why government at all levels should make concerted effort to abate the level of crises in the country to its barest. The fact remains that good governance and accountability are sacrosanct as it stimulate the country socio-economic development. Nigeria as a nation has a long history of ethno-religious crisis. (Oji and Anugwom, 2004) observed that, ethnic and religious conflicts and divisions arising from them are intertwined phenomenal in contemporary Nigeria. It has been observed that it is very hard in Nigeria to have ethnic conflicts which will not end up as religious crisis. The fact that Nigeria is a plural polity has long been acknowledged.

The introduction of sharia legal system has introduced another dimension into the whole farce. While the Muslims justifies its introduction as part of the dividends of democracy, the Christians see its introduction as contrary to the spirit of secularism as provided for in section 10 of the 1979 and 1999 constitutions, which states that ‘the government of the federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as a state religion. The February and May 2000 conflicts cannot be divorced from the spate of conflicts between the Muslim Hausa-Fulani and the Christian ethnic minorities in the state. Often religious differences have been evoked to explain these bloody clashes. However, the problem involves perceived political domination by groups considered as external, illegitimate or ‘alien’.The immediate cause of the crisis is generally associated with the Shariah controversy and the consequent demonstration and counter demonstration by both Muslims and Christians in Kaduna. Shariah question has since the inauguration of the new civilian government in 1999 sharply divided Nigerians across religious lines.

The Muslim pro-Shariah activists expressed concern and fears over what they consider to be domination of Christian culture in Nigeria established by the colonial government. For these Muslims secularism is unacceptable in Islam, the separation of the sacred and mundane is unacceptable and the legal framework that governs their lives should be Islamic.

The Christians on the other hand are concerned about what they regard as the threat of Islamization of the country and the burden of shariah on non-Muslims. They argued that the introduction of sharia will amount to Islamization of the country against the interest of Christians and that the country’s  resources will be used to promote the cause of one religion. With shariah, they believe Christian will be considered will be relegated and seen as infidels.

Mustapha blamed politicians for using religion as a tool to spread hate and division among the people. He said, “It is pertinent to note that due to circumstances we found ourselves as a nation, suspicion on religious grounds has almost destroyed the fabrics of unity and love that binds us. “There has been a lot of negative propaganda being instigated by outsiders and finds narrative in the church that there is a plan to Islamise Nigeria without any credible fact. “The issue of membership of Nigeria to Organisation of Islamic Conference, Shariah and farmers/herdsmen clashes had created a lot of suspicion in the minds of the people despite the fact that the problems had existed in the country for several decades.” The President said both Christian and Muslim religious leaders had been victims of killings in some parts of the country. (http://dailypost.ng/2019/03/08/buhari-told-catholic-bishops-plot-islamize-nigeria/ 8^th march 2019)

The focus of this study is to find out if ethno-religious conflicts in  Nigeria has any adverse effect on the nation’s national development.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Since the 1914 amalgamation of the northern and southern regions of Nigeria by the British colonial government, Nigerians have continued to debate the issues of peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic groups on the one hand, and between Christians and Muslims on the other. Nigeria has been deeply enmeshed and suffused in ethno-religious conflicts characterized by genocidal attacks, maiming and killings of several person’s, loss of business investments, industries and property worth several millions of Naira, Within the space often years, several violent ethno-religious conflicts have been reported in in several state of Nigeria. Furthermore, these violent conflicts have compelled many Nigerians to attempt a redefinition of their identity as fallout of emotive feeling and perceptions.

The violent conflict which has remained a recurring decimal has severally threatened

the nascent democracy, national security and the unity of the country and has  brought the nation to the brink of disaster.

A number of reasons have been given as causes of ethno-religious conflagrations in Nigeria. Ethno-religious entrepreneurs who fan the embers of violent ethno-religious conflicts in the past are evidently mobilizing negative ethnicity, religious schism, whip sentiments and pitch one ethno-religious group against another. Also, competitive partisan political activities are used as avenues through which groups are mobilized, identities rigidly reinforced, often infused with excessive religiosity. Furthermore, a large proportion of the youth who are able-bodied but idle, unemployed, frustrated and aggrieved with the social system are willing and ready to be recruited and mobilized to engage in violent ethno-religious conflicts because such offer them the opportunity to break into public and private property and cart away whatever they can find (Imobighe 2003B: 10). In addition, the recurrence of the violent conflicts has been blamed on significant gap in the inability of the security agencies to guarantee security of lives and property as well as bring those responsible for the conflict to book. Expectedly, the trend, dimension and casualties associated with the circle of violent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria have generated serious concern locally and internationally. The orgy of violent conflicts apart from being condemned by all has generated calls from the local and international arena on the need to address it. The phenomenon of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria has generated sustained academic interest evident in the number of extant literature in relation to the issues. The nature, scale, forms, propellants and consequences of ethno-religious conflicts have been examined. For example, Kukah (1993: 7-10) x-rays the nexus between religion, politics and power in Northern Nigeria. Onuoha (2005: 12-14) evaluated the nature of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. Odey (2005: 5) examined the implications of religious conflicts for national development in Nigeria. Saadu (2004: 7) has analyzed the current trends of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. Fayeye (2006: 13-14) reviewed inter-religious conflicts in Nigeria. The challenges associated the solutions of ethno-religious conflicts and national development in Nigeria will be critically analyzed. This study is tends to fill this gap in knowledge. In order to direct the study in an intellectual manner, a number of questions are posed as follow.

1. What are the demographic data of the respondents?
2. Who are the victims of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

iii.        What is the relationship between National development and Ethno-Religious Conflict?

1. What are the roles of religious leaders in curtailing the danger?
2. What are the government policies of controlling the ethno-religious conflicts?
3. Does competitive partisan politics pose any challenge to the management of the recurrent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

vii.       Does the presence of huge pool of angry brigade of youth pose any challenge to the solutions of the recurring ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

viii.      Does the significant gap in the capacity of the security agencies to bring perpetuators face the wrath of the law pose any serious challenge to the solutions of the recurrent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

1. Does the mobilization of ethno-religious sentiments to pitch one group against another engender any challenge in the control of the increase in violent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

 

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The following are the specific objectives of this study;

1. What are the demographic data of the respondents?
2. Who are the victims of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

iii.        What is the relationship between National development and ethno-religious conflicts?

1. What are the roles of religious leaders in curtailing the menace?
2. What are the government policies of controlling the ethno-religious conflicts?
3. Does competitive partisan politics pose any challenge to’ the management

of the recurrent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

vii.       Does the presence of huge pool of angry brigade of youth pose any challenge to the solutions of the recurring ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

viii.      Does the significant gap in the capacity of the security agencies to bring perpetuators face the wrath of the law pose any serious challenge to the solutions of the recurrent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

viiii.     Does the mobilization of ethno-religious sentiments to pitch one group against another engender any challenge in the management of the orgy of violent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria?

 

1.4 Significance of the Study

 

A number of significance can be derived from this study.

1. The study would be useful in deepening our knowledge on the challenges of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria.
2. It would also serve as basis for further research either by the information it provides for peace and conflict resolution.

iii.        Also, the study could provide useful information to the government on how to effectively control the recurring ethno-conflicts conflict in Nigeria and issues peace among ethnic and religious divide.

1v.         It will help policy makers in the country and the world over to know the root causes of ethno-religious conflicts, so as to explore strategies by which the negative effects of the conflicts could be mitigated in the future. Thus making lasting policies that will obliterate ethno-religious chauvinism and its consequent effect on national stability and development.

1.5                 Scope of the study

The work has focus on the Critical Analysis on the historical background of Ethno-Religious conflicts in Nigeria  and how it has affected the country’s National development, ranging from economic, political, cultural, religious and intermarriage.

Like every other study such as this, there are bound to be some limitations that would be encountered. In this study, it anticipated that it would be difficult to get research subjects to voluntarily participate in the research. The intent of the researcher to obtain personal information from the respondents may be misconstrued and thus may not be willing to cooperate. The task of convincing the research subjects to participate voluntarily in researches and the task of obtaining veritable data for analysis may be huge.

Also, it is anticipated that since the research design is raise relies on survey questionnaire, the data that shall be obtained would essentially depend on what the research subjects are willing to volunteer.

 

INFLUENCE OF RELIGION AND ETHNICITY ON SOCIAL COHESION IN NIGERIA. GET MORE BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGY PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS

 

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