ANALYSIS OF IPOB AGITATION AND THE NEED FOR NATIONAL RESTRUCTURING IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

When a country's institutions deteriorate, warlords, terrorists, and other perpetrators seize power and use violence against civilians from other nations, as the terrorist attacks in New York, London, Madrid, Nigeria and Mumbai demonstrated.When a situation threatens national security, Nigeria act on their own initiative. However, in order for action to be effective, the approach to recovery, reconstruction, and subsequent handover must be sufficient and comprehensive.These efforts show that stability and reconstruction are only possible when organizations work together in a coordinated manner. To be effective, the chosen solution must entail more than just a single government's (or a few nations') desires being placed on a weak state. It must take into account a variety of foreign priorities when working with the host country to achieve common goals.To ensure overall well-being, it should combine dispute resolution with legal governance, policy preparation, economic reconstruction, communication improvement, educational change, and health initiatives. It would have to deal with ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity.Restoring peace and governance to countries on the verge of collapse would make a significant contribution to global security and well-being. As a result, the payoff for pursuing a multinationally integrated complete-governance approach to nation-building would be well worth the effort.

(Atiku Abubakar , 2018) Nigeria's former Vice President, has indicated that true federalism and reconstruction, as demanded by various ethnic groups in the Nigeria, will resolve the threat of secession.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Culture disparities based on ethnic differences and ethno-religious discontents have obscured the growth of the Nigerian economy. As a result of British imperialism, the northern and southern protectorates were merged in 1914, resulting in the creation of the Nigerian State, which became independent on October 1, 1960.

Ethnic politics in Nigeria is caused by a lot of factors. These factors ranging from racial marginalization, segregation, superiority, and favouritism have all led to the Nigerian state's ethno-religious crises. Despite the long-running ethno-religious conflicts, Nigeria is affected by other ethnic politics-related factors. This include ethnic separatist movements, resource regulation, and state creation.

Nnamdi Kanu founded the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) separatist organization in 2012. The party wants Nigeria's South Eastern states, which are dominated by the Igbo ethnic group, to secede from Nigeria and create an autonomous nation known as Biafra. In order to do this, the party is pushing for a referendum to resolve the Biafra conflict in a civilized and inclusive manner.While their actions have largely been nonviolent, the Nigerian military has unleashed its might on the party, killing armless civilians, according to numerous Amnesty International reports. A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Nigerian Federal Government a temporary injunction prohibiting the party and its operations on September 20, 2017.This decision has been challenged by the group in the Nigerian court of law, The decision was seen as an injustice to the people who are demanding self-liberation from the Nigerian government's political marginalization.During the contentious proscription of IPOB against Boko Haram, whose actions have been compared to those of terrorists, the group's leader urged supporters to boycott the Anambra State general elections as a show of loyalty and loyalty to the Biafra cause. This agitation's bane, according to the party, is marginalization.According to C. N. Ogbu, all Nigerians are aware of the plight of Ndigbo in the Nigerian Federation and their cry against unparalleled marginalization after the end of the civil war. Since tens of millions of Ndigbo live and spend in Nigeria outside of Igboland, no other ethnic community has a greater stake in the Nigerian dream.But yet, they are casualties at any turn: they face risks to their life and belongings on a regular basis, as well as outright bigotry and marginalization in key fields of national concern. This has prompted Igbo youths to demand self-determination.He goes on to say that some of the reasons of marginalization in Nigeria are systemic, while others derive from administrative decisions that discriminate against some parts of the country (Ogbu, 2018:3)

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

1. To find out the cause of agitation of the IPOB community.

2.  To know if the indigenous IPOB has caused violence in anyway to Nigeria.

3. To learn if the indigenous people of Biafra have been dissolved due to the reconstruction of Nigeria.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

I. What was the cause of the IPOB agitation?

II. Did the IPOB ever cause violence to Nigeria ?

III. Have the IPOB been dissolved?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research project will be useful to other academics, intellectuals, and students who want to do related research and also to the government.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research was carried out in Ikwerre, Port Harcourt in-line with the need of reconstructing Nigeria.

1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY

Confined data access, time frame, cultural bias conflicts, and other personal problems are some of the work's limitations.

1.8 DEFINATION OT TERMS

IPOB: The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a Nigerian Biafran separatist party. Its primary goal is to hold a secession referendum in Biafra, a former British colony in Nigeria's south east.

AGITATION: Agitation is the act of starting something moving by shaking or stirring it, usually to accomplish mixing. An exhilarating or agitated mental state

RESTRUCTURING: Restructuring is essentially a call for the return of federalism, the founding structure of the United States Constitution.

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