This book is about the emergence of ombatse, an Eggon ethnic militia in central Nigeria. Ombatse has become an invention by some Eggon people in response to their 'bleak' suffering or 'marginalised' situation in an attempt to effect their 'liberation'. It was initially formed as a political movement but after the outbreak of communal conflict in 2012, it was transformed into an ethnic militia. Ombatse has now become a non-state collective actor that organises violence and the group have been able to overcome the many challenges they have faced, especially raising funds, recruiting members and ensuring that members remain committed.
'Nigeria’s Resource Wars' reflects on the diversity of conflicts over access to, and allocation of, resources in Nigeria. From the devastating effects of crude oil exploration in the Niger Delta to desertification caused by climate change, and illegal gold mining in Zamfara, to mention a few, Nigeria faces new dimensions of resource-related struggles. The ravaging effects of these resource conflicts between crop farmers and Fulani herders in Nigeria’s Middlebelt and states across Southern Nigeria call for urgent scholarly interventions; with the Fulani cattle breeders’ onslaught altering the histories of many Nigerian families through deaths, loss of homes and investments, and permanent physical incapacity. Currently, there is an almost total breakdown of interethnic relations, with political commentators acknowledging that Nigeria has never been so divided as it presently is in its history. The struggles have now degenerated into kidnaps, armed robbery, and incessant targeted and random killings across the country; compounding the already complex problem of insecurity in Nigeria. The chapters in this volume engage with these issues, presenting the different arguments on resource conflicts in Nigeria. They draw insights from similar conflicts in Nigeria’s colonial/post-independence past and events from around the world to proffer possible solutions to resource-related confrontations in Africa. By offering a collection of different intellectual perspectives on resource conflicts in Nigeria, this volume will be an important reference material for understanding the diversity of thought patterns that underpin the struggle and policy approaches towards resolving conflict situations in Africa. This volume will be of considerable interest to scholars of Africa, researchers in the humanities, social sciences, and conflict studies, and policymakers interested in understanding the resource crisis in Africa.
This book explores the disturbing dimensions of the problem of insecurity in Nigeria, such as herdsmen violence, the Boko Haram insurgency, cybercrime, militancy in the Niger Delta, communal conflict and violence, as well as police corruption. It offers a comprehensive discussion of the theoretical foundations of internal security, the threats to internal security, the role of formal and informal agencies in internal security management and the challenges of internal security management.
Most of the academic literature on violence in Nigeria is qualitative. It rarely relies on quantitative data because police crime statistics are not reliable, or not available, or not even published. Moreover, the training of Nigerian social scientists often focuses on qualitative, cultural, and political issues. There is thus a need to bridge the qualitative and quantitative approaches of conflict studies. This book represents an innovation and fills a gap in this regard. It is the first to introduce a discussion on such issues in a coherent manner, relying on a database that fills the lacunae in data from the security forces. The authors underline the necessity of a trend analysis to decipher the patterns and the complexity of violence in very different fields: from oil production to cattle breeding, radical Islam to motor accidents, land conflicts to witchcraft, and so on. In addition, they argue for empirical investigation and a complementary approach using both qualitative and quantitative data. The book is therefore organized into two parts, with a focus first on statistical studies, then on fieldwork.
Richard Joseph's seminal 1987 book Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria represented a watershed moment in the understanding of the political dynamics of Nigeria. This groundbreaking collection brings together scholars from across disciplines to assess the significance of Joseph's work and the current state of Nigerian politics.
The first edition of State and Society in Nigeria, published in 1980, was and remains a dominant influence in teaching, research, policy and practice of state-society relations in Nigeria for more than a generation. The volume of essays has remained one of the most cited in the field – testimony to its enduring content and perspective as well as the beauty, accessibility and clarity of its language. This new edition revisits, extends and reconsiders aspects of the first edition in light of developments in the literature since 1980 and offers new insights and interpretations on issues of political economy, politics, and sociology such as the country’s Civil War (1967-1970) the political economy of oil, debt, and democratization and the complexities and ethnic identities and rivalries and religious accommodation and conflict, and of the multiple ways in which they intersect with one another.
Empowerment of women through gainful employment is a constituent - as well as instrument - of development in any country. No country can be deemed developed if half of its population is severely disadvantaged in terms of basic needs, livelihood options, access to knowledge and political voice. A natural corollary of ensuring gender equality is the elimination of gender discrimination. Women's lack of economic empowerment not only impedes growth and poverty reduction, but also has a host of other negative impacts including less favourable education and health outcomes for children. Thus, it is extremely important to ensure that women are economically, socially and politically empowered. Effective and coordinated plans and programmes for the full implementation of women-oriented policies require a clear research-based knowledge of ground realities of the socio-economic status of women, particularly rural women. This volume is the outcome of the findings of academicians and researchers from different disciplines. The 11 papers included in this work throw light on various dimensions of women empowerment in India. [Subject: Women's Studies, Asian Studies, Gender Studies, Ã?Â?Ã?Â?Economic Development, Poverty Studies, Economics]
Winner of the 2013 Commonwealth Writer's Prize for African literature. E.E. Sule's debut novel, Sterile Sky, presents a community wrecked by religious conflict and a young boy hunting for a better future. On the day that Murtala comes of age, violent riots break out in his home city of Kano – leading to unspeakable tragedy within his own family. While chaos threatens to erase everything he holds dear, Murtala is stalked by monsters both real and imagined. A gifted student, he grows desperate to escape from the web of poverty and religious extremism that surrounds him. An immensely poignant and powerful novel, Sterile Sky captures the religious conflicts of modern Nigeria and the enduring hope for peace. 'An ambitious work that tells the definitive story of an important moment in Nigeria's sociopolitical history.' Sanya Osha
