Ethnic Conflict and the Politics of Spoils in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper attempts to discuss the nexus between spoils politics and escalating ethnic conflict in Nigeria that has seen some communities like the Fulani herdsmen, a large semi-nomadic community found in large parts of Nigeria, especially its central and southern regions, slaughter their countrymen with impunity. It is not a debate on the recent spate of violent clashes that have reportedly been triggered by the herdsmen. It is at its core an exploration of the ethnic issues that are prevalent in Nigeria overlapping with political, economic and religious tensions causing undercurrents of distrust and suspicion in the country. The paper argues that due to the zero sum nature of local politics, the violence that has been unleashed can be seen as a kind of premeditated strategy being followed by the federal government given its complete inaction in the face of the massacres and land grabs that have occurred. The brutal intimidation faced by sections of Nigeria’s population and the inability of the state to stem it has prevented the country’s citizens from resisting the ongoing conflict and strife.