THE MEANING OF ETHNO- RELIGIOUS CONFLICT

THE MEANING OF ETHNO- RELIGIOUS CONFLICT

CHAPTER ONE
Introduction

Ethno-religious conflicts refer to conflicts involving groups that have religion as an integral part of social and cultural life and where conflicting groups define themselves along ethno-religious lines. Religious Identity can create sharp distinction between parties and increase group mobilization. Other distinguishing factors include the high incidence of civilian causalities, suicide bombing, ethnic cleaning and action “legitimized” by religious language in forms of texts and Images. Such conflicts are often intra-state and particularly in communities with long histories of tension and suffering from post-colonial deprivation as well as political and economic instability. Religious leaders often seize the opportunity of instability and mobilized on religious ground to attack incumbent governments.

The colonial period in Nigeria recorded a lot of drastic changes, which were introduced not for the growth and development of the country but for British administrative convenience and exploitation. The colonial masters were strictly concerned with matters that encouraged their exploitation agenda that was why they did not resolve proper the problem of ethnicity or tribalism in socio-political and economic scenario in Nigeria noting the method employed by the European colonial masters on their colonies, Rodney Walter asserts that Because of ethnic and religious royalties which go under the name of tribalism could not be effectively resolved by the colonial state, they tend to foster the unhealthy forms, indeed their colonial powers sometimes saw the value of stimulating the internal tribal jealousies as to keeping the colonized from dealing with the principal contradiction that is classic technique of divide and rule.1

While writing on ethnic minority violence in Tafawa Balewa, Dauda also added that, the integration of different groups through colonialism into advanced capitalist economy brought new and competitive notions of development, heightened existing conflict and produced different groups such as those competing for public job, admission unto schools particularly higher institutions and distribution of state resources of all which are scare and therefore constitute the reason for competition, the unevenness resource endowment and modernizing influences especially in education and elite development heightened competition and conflict.

In recent time, the problem of ethnic and religious nationalism in Nigeria arises often from two areas the middle belt zone and the south-south zone where there is such a contradiction of many diverse national groups that are not easily classified. The fatal crisis that have broken out in Kaduna, Jos and also among the Urohobo, Itsekiri, Tiv, Jukun, Kuteb all within these zones attest to the sensitive matter involved all the ethnic nationalist want to exercise authority and power over issues of local interest which although local but very vital, such as education, environment, agriculture, fisheries, religion etc. Though Ekwekwe’s affirmation is acceptable to a great extent, it should be noted that ethnic and religious affiliation cut across boundaries hence the governing and the governed can be mutually ethnocentric and “religious”.3 In the same vein, Ujo observes that at the centre of the issue of ethnicity is the issue of resource allocation or the division of national cake. Whenever one group feels threatened or cheated ethnic or religious is usually exploited by the group in ensuring inter-communal struggle.4

Significantly, the issue of revenue allocation cannot be over looked, the formula revenue allocation in Nigeria can be said to be unstable, hence, it fluctuates from year to year, the event of 1970’s and 1980’s are relevant to this point, not perhaps the most dramatic change, may be traced back to 1969 and 1980’s are relevant to this point, not perhaps the most dramatic change, may be traced back to 1969. Before this date, the major criterion in allocation revenue to the state was “Derivation”. This principles for example, coupled with the then marketing system of Nigeria’s primary produce, allowed the old western religion to earn the bulk of its revenue from cocoa the eastern region from palm produce and the northern region from cotton and ground nuts but by late I960 derivation had progressively lost its importance in revenue allocation. Even then, it had become an important point of contention between the oil producing states and the central government.

THE MEANING OF ETHNO- RELIGIOUS CONFLICT