Power Struggle, Political Contest and Ethno-Religious Violence in Nigeria

Abstract

Conflict is as old as man himself, and pervades all societies, both ancient and modern, and thus, an inescapable aspect of human interaction, an avoidable concomitant of choices and decisions, and an inevitable part or process of' social life and a continuing reality of' social existence. Many studies have drawn attention on the cause-effect relationship between the character of the Nigerian state and ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria, paying little attention to the cause effect of the power struggle or political contest and heightening ethno-religious violence in Nigeria. By using theory of relative autonomy of the state and qualitative method of analysis, we contend that intense struggles for political power or control of the Nigerian state heightened ethno-religious violence, and that these power struggles are primarily connected with disputes over distribution of state's resources. Power struggle or contest is therefore very fundamental in understanding basis for worsening ethno-religious violence in Nigeria both in military and civilian regimes. We recommend that the fundamental thing to do is to reconstitute the Nigerian state in such a manner as to increase its autonomy required for it to rise above class struggles