Nigerian social formation and separatist agitations

Abstract

In the last two decades or so, there has been a surge in violent separatist agitations in Nigeria. There isthe Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South-east, the Yoruba Nation Movement in the South-west, agitation for resource control in the South-south, the Boko Haram insurgency in the north, and a plethora of other violent criminal activities across the country. The paper examined the nature of the Nigerian social formation and how it has driven violent separatist agitations in the polity, in the last two decades. Data for the study was generated from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was derived from interviews, while secondary data was got from extensive library search. The Structural Conflict Theory was used as the framework of analysis, and information generated was analysed descriptively in line with the objectives of the study. The analysis established there is an inextricable nexus among the multi-ethnic nature of the Nigerian social formation; the multi-religious composition of the country; the rentier state system being operated in Nigeria, and the rise in violent agitations in the country.