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International Digital Organization for Scientific Research ISSN: 2550-7974 IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 3(1): 42-51, 2018.

Social Movement and Conflict in : A Response to Fragile State of

1Aro Gilbert Chukwu, 1Agudiegwu Moses Ogbonna, 1Akor Charles Ikechukwu, 2Chidume Chukwudi Godwin and 3Iwok Uduak Michael

1Department of Political Science/Mass Communication Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ikwo , Nigeria. 2Department of History and Strategic Studies Federal UniversityNdufu Alike Ikwo Ebonyi State Nigeria. 3Department of Mass Communication Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT The emergence of Social Movement in the contemporary world states arises from the social, economic and political conditions prevalent at each epoch. This comes on the heels of plethora evidence of structural violence in the prevailing capitalist system in the international circle including Nigeria. The Nigerian failing character has engendered social, economic and political convolutions creating dissatisfaction and despondency among the contending ethnic groups. In view of the prevailing phenomenon of abundant structural victimisation in Nigeria, several ethnic social movements have emerged to seek the protection and wellbeing of their people. The Igbo ethnic group has suffered more victimisation under the draconian policies, exclusion and politics of marginalisation in the fragile state of Nigeria. The massacre and pogrom of 1966 against the Igbo ethnic stock made them to respond by seeking for self-determination that culminated in the Nigeria-Biafra war between1967-1970. While under democracy, the Igbo ethnic group continues to galvanise support under the aegis of MASSOB and other related associations to realise the republic of Biafra. The paper interrogates the nexus between the social movement and conflict as it affects in Nigeria. The paper recommends the institution of good governance and maximalist democracy as a panacea to agitation and injustices being pursued by social movements in Nigeria.

Keywords: Social Movement, ethnic group and capitalist system.

INTRODUCTION

The state of Nigeria is medley and year 1914, there was no country in the motley of contending ethnic nations and world known by the name Nigeria. On tribes prior to the advent of colonialism the other hand, for hundreds of years, and imperialism. The colonial invasion there existed within the geographical distorted and thwarted the individual space known today as Nigeria peoples and respective growth of these and nations identified as Yoruba, Igbo, autochthonous nations, thereby sowing Hausa, Tiv, Benin etc [1]. In fact scholars the seed of Pandora box of state fragility and anthropologists have identified over in the contemporary Nigeria. Before the 400 ethnic groups forming the 42

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www.idosr.org Aro et al conglomerate of Nigeria. These social The Igbo nation in their quest to groups and ethnic nations had intra and contribute their quota in nation building international relations among in Nigeria received resentment. themselves before the conflagration and Nigerians of all other ethnic groups will holocaust of colonialism and probably achieve consensus on no imperialism, which distorted and matter than their common resentment emasculated the individual growth and of the Igbo. Modern Nigerian history development of the respective ethnic has been marked by sporadic eruptions nations. The historical circumstances of anti-Igbo feeling of more or less that brought these ethnic nations serious import; but it was not until together in Nigeria created factors 1966-7 when it swept through Northern responsible for varying degrees of Nigeria like a flood of deadly hate that conflict and formations of social the Igbo first questioned the concept of movement to protect the interest of the Nigeria which they had embraced with groups. much greater fervour than the Yoruba or the Hausa/Fulani [3]. The massacre and The Igbo nation is one of the major pogrom of July 1966 occasioned by the ethnic nations that constituted the factor of January Coup of 1966 believed modern Nigeria. The pre-independence to have been masterminded by Igbo non politicised census figures show that military officers forced the Igbo people Ndi Igbo with a population of about 5.5 to start to tinker the way out their million constituting 16.6% of the trouble created by the post colonial country’s population are the second fragile state of Nigeria. The northerners largest ethnic group in Nigeria. turned on Igbo civilians living in the (Estimation from 1952/53 to 1991 north and unleashed waves of brutal population) Igbo land of South east massacre that Colin Legun of The Nigeria is generally recognised as the Observer (UK) was the first to as a most densely populated land area in the pogrom. Thirty thousand men, women whole of Africa comparable only to the and children were slaughtered, Nile valley [2]. This census generated hundreds of thousands were wounded, one of the early controversies that maimed, and violated, their homes and rocked the independent Nigeria among property looted and burned and no one other ethnic driven crises. Other census asked any questions [4]. The response of conducted in the independent Nigeria Igbo people to the hatred arising from has been doctored in favour of other the massacre imbued in them the ethnic groups that have controlled the courage to seek for political and reins of government prior to this day. economic protection in Nigeria. This led to the formation of Igbo consultative 43

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Assembly under the able and dynamic political society. The conflict that arose leadership of Gen Chukwuemeka in Nigeria in the hey days of political Odumuegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the independence gave parturition of social former republic of Biafra. The Igbo movement in Igbo land. At the dawn of intellectuals, professionals, youths democracy in 1999, gave rise to the articulated the way out to save the Igbo formation of ethnic militia and radical people from extinction visited on by the organisations in the Nigerian Fourth Nigerian government of Yakubu Gowon. Republic. Movement for the The Igbo Consultative Assembly took Actualisation of the Sovereign State of form of social movement that drove the Biafra (MASSOB) , and Bakasi Boys engine of the republic of Biafra, where emerged as social movements in Igbo the rights of the Igbo people could be land to protect her from extinction protected. The Biafran agenda was war meted on her by the Nigerian state. The of emancipation and liberation for the paper tries to look at the roles of the whole eastern Nigeria under the siege. social movements that arose in defence This was the point of conflict between of the Igbo people in the fragile Nigeria. Nigeria and the former republic of It also attempts to exhume the social Biafra. and political prospect of the Igbo people in the fragile, conflict ridden and failing Historically, social movement arises out state of Nigeria. The study equally of political, social and economic makes appropriate recommendations. conditions at the material time in any THEORETICAL PURVIEW

A theory is a set of interrelated defending and protecting the interest of propositions, concepts and axioms her members within the political which explains and predicts a given society. The social movement in Igbo phenomenon in physical and social land has responded and risen to finding sciences. The seminal works of John solutions to the inability of the Nigerian Dollard and Aubrey Yates on frustration state to fulfil needs and protect her aggression theory explains social human rights. Where expectation does conflict arises in any given political not meet attainment, the tendency is for environment from the inability to fulfil people to confront those they hold human needs and that frustrated responsible for frustrating their individuals resort to violence as a ambitions [5]. This the central thesis means of changing the status quo. Social that relative deprivation addressed in movement emanates as a result of saying that the greater the discrepancy, structural violence with a view to however marginal, between what is

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www.idosr.org Aro et al sought and what seem attainable, the that will be directed at those he holds greater wil be the chances that anger responsible or people who are directly and violence will result [6]. or indirectly related to them [5]. This apt in explaining why the Igbo nation The principal explanation that under the defunct republic of Biafra frustration- aggression theory provides resorted to the war of liberation is that aggression is not just undertaken between 1967-1970, and the continued as a natural reaction or instinct as denial of the legitimate desire, and realists and biological theorists assume, marginalisation by the fragile state of but that it is the outcome of frustration Nigeria orchestrated the formation of and that in a common situation where Movement for the Actualisation of the legitimate desires of an individual is Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in denied either directly or by the indirect 1999. This explanation applies and consequences of the way the society is adumbrates the persistence and structured, the feeling of resistance of conflict across the country disappointment may lead such a person from 1960 to the contemporary epoch in to express his anger through violence Nigeria. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

SOCIAL MOVEMENT

Social movement is an agent of change completely new social order. It can also in the modern world characterised by mean the socially shared demand for gory of injustice and man’s inhumanity change in some area or dimension of the to man. Social changes are brought social order [8]. about primarily by the roles of social So, social movement represents agent and mass movement. Social change can that motivates change gradually or be gradual or radical as in the case of radically within an existing political several revolutions in the modern order. Social movement respond to society. Therefore, social movement structural violence and negative peace refers to a group of people acting with characteristics of modern capitalist some level of continuity to either states. Social movement should be promote or resist a change in their conceived as springboards for society or social group of which they are mobilising people into actions deemed members [7]. In the same vein, social necessary to effect social change. Its movement represents collective characteristics include: permanence, attempts to bring about a change in group consciousness, goal orientation, certain social institutions or to create a and critical nature see, [7]. In a 45

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www.idosr.org Aro et al democracy, civil societies and social operate within the bounds of law and movements are given expressions to the constitutions.

FRAGILE STATE

The strength and performances of its people, including the poor, where modern states vary, and so some states core functions include service are classified strong, weak, failed and entitlements, justice and security. fragile. The paper concentrates on It is axiomatic that fragile states are fragile nature of the Nigerian state. those states characterised with poverty, Many states in the developing counties lack of social cohesion, unwarranted are designated fragile because of their conflict, identity crisis, electoral inability to attend to providing public malfeasance, ethno-religious crises, lack good and welfare. Fragile state entails of human security, and magnitude of that states may be fragile because they corruption. Nigeria in spite of the fact lack authority (authority failure), fail to that it has maintained uninterrupted provide services ( service entitlement democracy for fifteen years from 1999 failure), or lack of legitimacy ( possesses the indexes enunciated above. legitimacy failure) see [9] . The Militancy in the and Department for International currently the menace of intractable Boko Development [5] of the United Kingdom Harem, where property worth millions defines fragile states as occurring where and human are lost on quotidian basis the government cannot or will not make Nigeria a fragile state. deliver core functions to the majority of CONFLICT

The existence of human society makes incompatible of interests and goals by conflict inexorable and inevitable. The different groups [10]. The author nature, strength, and character of states averred conflict as the resort to use of checks or creates environment for force and armed violence in the conflict explosion. It can be prevented aggregate pursuit of incompatible and or avoided depending on whether the particular interest and goals among the state is mature, developed or fragile. It contending social groups and social is of perforce to articulate the conflict classes. The innate nature of man as within the scope of this discourse. articulated by the biological theories Therefore, conflict is the pursuit of and quest for class domination makes

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www.idosr.org Aro et al conflict inevitable in the contemporary good governance and evidence of states. structural victimisations. Conflict as a pervasive and invidious phenomenon Conflict could be intra or interstate can at the level of individual, group, depending on the factors of productions community, state, nation or at and reproductions. Intra state conflict international level [11]. usually occurs as result of the failure of HISTORY AND FACTORS RESPONSILBE FOR SOCIAL MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA

The colonial power created urban life in and social services [13]. The factors Nigeria, and various ethnic groups governing all these ethnic formations started to jostle for social, economic have been the drive to secure economic and political security. This generated and social security for the groups. The the formation of ethnic groups to formations of NCNC. NPC and AG prior protect them from the alleged fear of to the emergence of the First Republic domination of perceived major ethnic were all supportive to reinforcing ethnic groups. During the colonial period, the chauvinism among the contending following formations came up as social social classes, who exerted influence to movements. They include: the Ibibio control the political economy of the Welfare Union (later Ibibio State Union) nations. So political parties in the in 1928, the Urhobob Brotherly Society emergent independent Nigeria were (later Urhobo Progress Union) was set up more of social movements than in Warri in 1931, and the Igbo Union organised parties desirous to secure (later Igbo Federal Union, and much political power. This factor continues to later Igbo State Union was established in govern the country in spite of her claim Lagos in 1936 see [12]. The emergence of full democratic status akin to what is of these groups during colonial period obtained in the developed societies. stemmed from the pervasive fear of In fact, it is noticed that the emergence human insecurity and palpable fear of of OPC on 24th August 1994 was domination of one group over the other connected with a feeling of alienation, in the Nigerian polity. In Nigeria, the which the Yoruba people claim has been practice of ethnic politics has sustained their misfortune from the period of the belief that each of the over 250 colonialism in Nigerian body-politic. ethnic groups must struggle for its own This assertion became apparent at the share of the national resources. These annulment of June 12, Presidential usually come in the form of recruitment election presumably won by Chief MKO to top positions in government and the Abiola , see [13]. The feeling of the distribution of government institutions Yoruba people over the injustice of June 47

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12 annulment was also common in other aspects. In the east, MASSOB came on ethnic nations in Nigeria over one form the heels of continued injustice against of structural violence evident in Nigeria. the Igbo nation. And the activities of the In the Niger Delta, reactions to contain dreaded Boko Haram currently rocking the forces perceived to have and threatening the corporate existence underdeveloped the area over time, the of Nigeria continue to validate the thesis Niger Delta youths quickly assembled that Nigerian state is fragile and failing and armed themselves to protect their in character. In fact, today Nigerian state land. This led to the formation of is at lowest of ebb of nation building different militia groups including, the attesting to its character of failing state Movement for the Emancipation of the see [15]. On strict assessment, the Niger Delta (MEND), Niger Delta Volunter plethora of social movements agitating Group (NDVG), Niger Delta Volunteer for one thing or the other indicates that Force (NDVF), Movement for the Survival structural victimisation characterise the of the Ogoni People among others[14]. entire polity. This is an indictment on The activities were to attack oil facilities the current leadership of the state, and installations in the area, thereby Nigeria. making Nigeria fragile and failing in all FRAGILE STATE, DEMOCRACY AND ETHNIC RESPONSES: THE IGBO EXAMPLE

Having being established that Nigeria is people and easterners in pogroms that a fragile state rights from the time of started in May 1966 and occurred over political her independence to present four months- events of those months day. The ripples of conflicts and wars left many Biafrans terrified [4]. The anti- are defining criteria that justify Nigeria Igbo feeling followed by the massacre as fragile and failing state. The Igbo and the pogrom of over thirty thousand people constitute one of the major civilians of Igbo origin ignited the drive ethnic bloc, and plays preponderant for self-determination spurred by Igbo economic and political role in Nigeria. Consultative Assembly under leadership The parlous nature of the Nigerian state of the eastern region in1967. This led to characterises by inequities and injustice the outbreak of Nigeria-Biafra civil war. warranted the plotting and execution of When the 30 months civil between first military coup in 1966. Beginning Nigeria and the defunct republic of with the January15, coup d’état through Biafra ended in 1970, with most of the the counter-coup staged mainly by achievements had been shattered in the Northern Nigerian officers, who war; the war had uprooted much of the murdered 185 Igbo officers and the economic infrastructure of Igboland, massacre of thirty thousand Igbo

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www.idosr.org Aro et al claimed the lives of the cream of the arising from these situations as society and disabled many. Confusion, a exemplified in the frustration- feeling of insecurity and despair aggression theory led young Igbo people prevailed among the Igbo people [15]. to come up with contemporary social Marginalisation with its omnibus movement called (MASSOB) with the application pauperised and tinge of self- determination as a panacea impoverished the Igbo peoples making to the plight of Igbo people in Nigeria. them to play the second fiddle in The Movement for Actualisation of political and economic life of the nation, Sovereign State of Biafra was flagged off thereby necessitating further agitations by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike on 7th May, by Igbo people. This experience has 2000 at Aba (The New Magazine,Nov lasted from 1970 to 1999 when 2000). The activities of MASSOB would democracy was restored in Nigeria. be understood if we probe why it came The dawn of democracy in 1999, it into existence and why at that point in created a better atmosphere for the time. The reasons for the formation of expression of pent up anger of very MASSOB could be divided into two: many ethnic groups in Nigeria. This remote and immediate. Under the gave to the emergence of many ethnic remote causes we have reasons that militias agitating for the protections of arose during the colonial days and those the interest of their people. In the past, of the post-colonial days up to 1998. some associations have emerged to The immediate cause is traceable to the forge and protect the interest of the outcome of the presidential nomination Igbo people. They include: Ohaneze Ndi- of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Igbo, Eastern Mandate Union (EUM) and which an Igbo man was unjustly edged Mkpoko Ndigbo. The emergence of these out. This indicated that Igbo people are associations came with a view to experiencing political marginalisation in righting the wrongs and injustices done the body-politic. The birth of MASSOB in to Igbo nation. In spite of the efforts of September, 1999 was in direct response these groups, marginalisation of the to the negativities associated with that Igbo ethnic group by the leadership of nomination [17]. The activities of the Obasanjo and subsequent regimes, and MASSOB are corollaries to the fragility of blatant genocidal attack by the Hausa- the Nigerian state, which entails its Fulani in Kaduna recently, the Igbo inability to grant equity and fairness to became more than ever threatened [16]. her citizens. As it has been observed in These threats came in the wake of this paper that social movement arises application of Sharia law by some states out of structural victimisation within in the Northern Nigeria. The frustrations the social system of Nigeria. In as much

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www.idosr.org Aro et al as injustice prevails in Nigeria, MASSOB apparent, inexorable and inevitable in and other social movements will Nigeria. To avoid conflict in Nigeria, continue to act as direct responses to inclusive and maximalist form of the fragility and failing character of the democracy should be encouraged to Nigerian state. While this character engender social and political endures, conflict resistance becomes development.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Igbo people are one among the people, the question of social movement major ethnic nations in Nigeria will continue to bother the country. This occupying the eastern part of the is why the emergence of MASSOB country. Its population and human became inevitable in the dawn of resources are worthy of influence to democracy in1999. The essence of bear on political and economic life of democracy is rooted in the promotion the country. Unfortunately, it has and protection of human right [18]. The suffered political marginalisation and paper argues that the avalanche of peripheralisation, in spite of its structural victimisation in Nigeria, preponderant position in the polity. which in its entirety amounted to human rights denial by the state, The discourse traced the provenance of generates conflict. While this continues social movement in Nigeria to have to happen in the opinion of this paper, emanated from the period of social movement will continue to colonialism, and discovered that it was organise itself on the basis of interest the pervading social and economic protection and this generates conflicts insecurity that gave birth to the situation in the country. The paper phenomenon of social movement in the proffers that it is only inclusive and country. While the various governments maximalist democracy that can eschew in both military and civilian regimes state fragility, and provide social and have not addressed the questions of economic development in Nigeria. marginalization particularly on the Igbo REFERENCES

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