COUNTER-JUSTICE AND RESTIVENESS IN NIGERIA: SOUTHEAST AGITATION
Abstract
This study examined counter-justice and restiveness in Nigeria, with emphasis on the relationship between Southeast (SE) marginalization and restiveness in the region drawing examples from socially excluded communities across the nation and the challenges it brings to the public–economic system. Nigeria’s peace, security, and corporate existence as a nation are threatened because of the prevalence of this phenomenon. The researchers adopted a qualitative research method utilizing a focus group study. The theory of collective violence explains the problems of inequitable distribution of national resources, marginalization, poverty, and unemployment that have fostered restiveness thereby creating instability in the public system. The study found that there is a positive relationship between the marginalization of the Southeast region and violent agitation in Nigeria and that counter-justice negatively impacts peace and security in the Southeast and Nigeria. The study recommended there is a need for the federal government of Nigeria to pay attention to the demands of all persons, groups, or regions in a similar manner. Discrimination of one group/region against the other is the cause of restiveness across the country.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. (2019). The narrow corridor. Penguim Press.
Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. . (2012). Why nations fail. Profile books.
Achen, C. H., & Bartels, L. M. (2016). Democracy for realists: Why elections do not produce responsive government. Princeton University Press. press.princeton.edu.
Ali, M. A., Dalaram, F. A., & Dauda, M. (2018). The Challenges and Prospect of Free, Fair and Credible Election in Nigeria: A Theoretical Perspectives. International Journal of Management Research & Review, 8(4), 42–53.
Aspinal, E., & Berenschot, W. (2019). Democracy for sale: Elections, Clientelism, and the state in Indonesia. Cornell University Press.
Asuquo, G. (2020). Democracy and the nature of African states: Towards an institutional reform for African development. Jurnal Office: Jurnal Pemikiran Ilmiah Dan Pendidikan Administrasi Perkantoran, 6(2), 117. https://doi.org/10.26858/jo.v6i2.16709 (24/5/23)
Bellucci, B. (2010). The state in Africa. The Perspective of the World Review, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/019251218500600112 (24/5/23)
Bilakovics, S. (2012). Democracy without politics. Harvard University Press.
Bracking, S. (2018). Corruption & State Capture : What Can Citizens Do ? Dædalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 147(3), 169–183.
Brandsen, T., Trommel, W., & Verschuere, B. (2017). The state and the reconstruction of civil society. 83(4), 676–693. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852315592467 (23/6/23)
Burgis, T. (2015). The looting machine: Warlords, oligarchs, corporations, smugglers, and the theft of Africa’s wealth. PublicAffairs.
Bourne, F (2015). Nigeria: A history of a turbulent century. Zed Books.
Campbell, J. (2011). Nigeria: Dancing on the brink. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Carter, M. J. (2016). Microsociologies: Social exchange, trust, justice, and legitimacy. In S. Abrutyn (Ed.), Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory (pp. 369–386). Springer International Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32250-6_18 (23/5/23)
Davide, T. (2021). Political grammar-the unconscious foundations of modern democracy. Standford University Press.
Dimova, G. (2020). Democracy beyond elections: Government accountability in the media age. Palgrave Macmillan.
Frank, T. (2020). People without power: The war on populism and the fight for democracy. Scribe Publications.
Friedman, O., Kabernik, V., & Pearce, J.C (2019). Hybrid conflicts and informational warfare. In Friedman, O., Kabernik, V., & Pearce, J.C (Eds), Hybrid conflicts and informational warfare: New labels, old politics. Lynne Rienner Publishers. Inc.
Fukuyama, F. (2011). The origins of political order: from prehuman times to the French Revolution. Farrar, Straus And Giroux. www .fsgbooks.com (2/5/23)
Gurr, T. R. (1970). Why Men Rebel. Princeton University Press.
Hedges, C. (2015). Wages of rebellion. Nation Books.
Hennink, M. M. (2014). Focus group studies: Understanding qualitative research. Oxford University Press.
Hill, J. N. C. (2012). Nigeria Since Independence. In Nigeria Since Independence. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137292049 (21/5/23)
Huang, J. (2019). Income inequality, distributive justice beliefs, and happiness in China: Evidence from a nationwide survey. Social Indicators Research, 142(1), 83–105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1905-4 (12/5/23)
Ikelegbe, Agustine. (2013). The state and civil society in Nigeria: Towards a partnership for sustainable development. Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED).
Ikelegbe, Augustine. (2016). State, Ethnic Militias, and Conflict in Nigeria. Canadian Journal of African Studies, 39(3), 490–516. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25067496 (Assessed 23/5/23)
Kenny, S., McGrath, B., & Phillips, R. (2018). The Routledge handbook of community development: perspectives from around the globe. In Routledge handbooks.
Kovacs, M. S. (2018). The everyday politics of electoral violence in Africa. In M. S. Kovacs & J. Bjarnesen (Eds.), Violence in African elections: Between democracy and big Man politics. Zed Books Ltd. www.zedbooks.net (Assessed 16/5/2023)
LeVan, A. C. (2014). Dictators and democracy in African development: The political economy of good governance in Nigeria. Dictators and Democracy in African Development: The Political Economy of Good Governance in Nigeria, 1–282. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.190404 (21/6/23)
Miller, M. A. (2013). The Foundations of Modern Terrorism: State, Society and the Dynamics of Political Violence. Cambridge University Press. www.cambridge.org (16/5/23)
Mouly, C., & Delgado, E. H. (2019). Introduction: Civil resistance in contexts of violent conflict in Latin America—Leveraging power to defend one’s rights. In C. Mouly & E. H. Delgado (Eds.), Civil resistance and violent conflict in Latin America : Mobilizing for rights (p. 261). Nature Switzerland AG.
National Political Reform Conference. (2005). National political Reform conference report. Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja.
Nwabueze, C., & Ezebuenyi, E. (2019). Newspaper Framing of Biafra Agitation Under Buhari’s Administration and its Influence on Public Support for the Struggle. African Journalism Studies, 40(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2019.1570296 (24/4/23)
Onuigbo, R. A., Rowland, A., & Innocent, E. O. (2016). Challenges of Feeding Bottle Federalism in Nigeria. International Digital Organization for Scientific Research of Current Issues in Arts and Humanities., 2(1), 34–52.
Oshita, O. O., & Ikelegbe, A. (2019). An overview of theoretical and practical issues in internal security management in Nigeria (Oshita O. Oshita, I. M. Alumona, & F. C. Onuoha (eds.)). Springer nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-981-13-8215-4#editorsandaffiliations (15/7/23)
Pritchett, L., Woolcock, M., & Andrews, M. (2013). Looking Like a State: Techniques of Persistent Failure in State Capability for Implementation. Journal of Development Studies, 49(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2012.709614 (4/7/23)
The National Conference. (2014). National Conference 2014: Final draft of the conference report. Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja.
Umoro, N. N., & Asemah, E. S. (2021). A textual analysis of the Vanguard reportage on IPOB agitation discourse. Fuoye Journal of Communication, 5, 273–283. www.joc.fuoye.edu.ng (27/5/23)
Volpi, F. (2020). Algeria : When elections hurt democracy. Journal of Democracy, 31(2), 152–165. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/753201 (01/5/23)
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2023 Thomas Obaren Igabor, Fred Osahon Okunmahie (PhD)
ISSN (PRINT): 2682 - 6135
ISSN (ONLINE): 2682 - 6127
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.