A History of Identities, Violence, and Stability in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of identities and conflicts in Nigeria. Following an introduction, it is organised into a further four sections. The second section examines the scope and nature of Nigeria's identity diversity, providing discussion of ethnicity, religion, regionalism, class, gender, and youth. Section 3 examines patterns of conflict in pre-colonial and colonial times. Section 4 draws our attention to the most salient identity cleavages in conflicts in the post-colonial era. The final section (5) looks at state management of conflicts and its effects under the federal system in Nigeria