Background
Armed conflict in Nigeria has grabbed news headlines in the recent past due to escalations. Regardless of where armed conflict takes place, the effects are always devastating to human life. Deaths and destruction of property also cause further damages to the economy. Nigeria can be considered to be the most populous and largest economy in the continent of Africa. According to Blazeby (2021), Nigeria is home to an estimated 200 million people, in addition to having an economy of nearly $500 billion. Nigeria is a major producer of oil and has the third largest movie industry in the world (Blazeby, 2021). These facts about Nigeria mean that the economic potential of the country is massive but it cannot be achieved due to armed conflict. Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960, but insecurity and conflict mean that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has had to maintain a constant presence since 1988 (Blazeby, 2021). The prolonged conflict has had observable detriments across social, economic, and political dimensions.
The northeast region of Nigeria has been in constant armed conflict for several years. The United Nations (2019) estimates that the civil conflict has persisted since 2009 and was triggered by armed opposition groups. The conflict also spilled over the borders affecting such regions as Lake Chad. As a result, an estimated 1.8 million people have been displaced and families spilled across borders and into Niger, Cameroon, and Chad (United Nations, 2019). The Global Conflict Tracker (2022) also indicates that the status of the conflict involving such groups as Boko Haram remains unchanged, which means that the situation is expected to persist. Since 2009, over 350000 people have died in the conflict while over 3 million others displaced in the Lake Chad basin (Global Conflict Tracker, 2022). The number of Nigerian refugees has also surpassed 310000 (Global Conflict Tracker, 2022). Today, the news headlines capture the progress of the conflict, including Boko Haram leaders and security agents getting killed.
From this background, it can be seen that armed conflict in Nigeria has reached crisis levels on multiple occasions. The civilians are the most affected individuals in the conflicts despite not normally being involved in them. The violent groups have been known to take hostages, an encounter that leaves some dead and others traumatized by the experiences. From a social perspective, the ethnic and religious diversity in the country seems to be a key factor in the conflict. Political instability has persisted since the country’s independence where the incompetence of the government means it has failed to find solutions. Economically, the turmoil creates a hostile environment for potential investors, while the local businesses also suffer significantly. A country cannot develop when engulfed in ongoing conflicts, a case that can be made from several other examples of politically unstable states across the world. If the armed conflict did not exist, Nigeria should be a leading economy in the continent and globally. Such an observation explains why armed conflict should be avoided at all costs.
Aims and Objectives
The primary aim of the research is to explore the impact of armed conflict in Nigeria and why it should not be ignored. According to Blazeby (2021), the conflict in Nigeria features less in media as compared to the wars in Syria and Yemen. However, the facts provided in the background reveal that millions of people are negatively impacted and that the influence of the conflict can be felt across borders. Additionally, the research aims to produce further facts and figures to illustrate that the armed conflict in Nigeria is as detrimental to the region as any other wars currently taking place across the world. Therefore, an overview of the war, including its history and evolution, serves as the best starting point when making a point that the situation in Nigeria should not be ignored.
Several objectives will be accomplished in the research, all of which help address the primary aim. First, the research offers a detailed background of the armed conflict in Nigeria, which includes a description of the groups involved and key causes of the violence. Second, the current development is outlined, including the efforts to address the war and future expectations based on the progress. Lastly, the research examines the damages caused by the armed conflict, which outlines the people affected and the political, economic, and social implications of the violence.
Research Questions
The research questions are based on the objectives outlined above, which means that they are also aligned with the primary aim. Additionally, the questions are framed in a manner that allows the hypotheses to be developed and tested, as will be explained in the methods section. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that the research problem will be approached from three main angles, each of which additively helps to explore the damaging effects of the armed conflict in Nigeria. The three research questions designed for this study are as outlined below:
- How has the armed conflict in Nigeria emerged and evolved, and what are the major causes?
- What are the current efforts to address the war and what are the prospects for success?
- What are the damages caused by the armed conflict across the economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions?
Significance of the Study
Good research needs to be original and have some value to both academia and society. In many cases, studies on conflict are intended to help understand the dynamics, including the factors causing and perpetuating a conflict, with the hope of finding lasting resolutions. For example, a study by Utsumi (2022, p. 1) explored the effects of armed conflict on education access and community resilience in Afghanistan and outlines possible ways of mitigating the negative effects. Other scholars may pay more attention to the long-term conflict risk to prove that is it an underrated field of inquiry Bruin et al. (2022, p. 1). Either way, most studies on armed conflict will help reveal the details of a conflict that remain hidden and play a critical role in addressing the situation. Therefore, the value of this study lies with the fact that it raises awareness to the global academia regarding the armed conflict in Nigeria so it can gain more scholarly attention. Additionally, the research offers a reason why the case of Nigeria may not be different from conflicts elsewhere, especially considering the devastation it currently causes to Nigerians.
The significance of this research can also be outlined in terms of its contributions to literature and its relevance. Multiple theories have been developed in the field of armed conflict, which means that this study offers a perfect opportunity to apply some of them. additionally, not all conflicts are the same, which means that each major conflict should be examined on its own. This is the focus of this study in that it focuses exclusively on the case of Nigeria. The study will be relevant not only to academia but also to policymakers, both domestic and international. As a conflict that spills over the Nigeria borders, regional governments would be interested in understanding how the conflict affects the neighboring countries and what can be done to minimize the damage. Understanding the key dynamics of the conflict will be helpful to all interested parties, especially those working towards de-escalation and resolution.
Literature Review
The second chapter of the research reviews the literature available regarding the topic. Additionally, theoretical and conceptual frameworks are developed to illustrate how the key concepts and variables are handled. The reviewed literature will form the foundation of the study where the basic themes and ideas are developed. Reviewing the literature also helps reveal the gaps, which are then used in the development of hypotheses.
Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
Exploring the subject of armed conflict requires one to approach it from multiple angles. However, the focus of this research is to examine the damages that the violence has caused to the country and its people and use this knowledge to explain why the war should not be ignored. From a theoretical perspective, it is important to understand the most important terminology and concepts involved. First, the term armed conflict can be described as political conflicts where either one or all of the parties use force. Additionally, the government has to be involved as one of the parties for a war to be labeled armed conflict. Second, the term ‘damages’ is used to refer to the negative consequences of the war. Armed conflicts tend to cause death and destruction of property, which are often the immediate outcomes of a war. As established in the background, thousands of people have died while others have been displaced. This research goes a step further to explore other detriments. For a comprehensive overview of the consequences, several categories are developed: political, social, economic, and cultural.
The consequences of the war form the primary objective of the war. However, the study also offers an overview of how the conflict has evolved and how mitigation efforts have progressed. This way, the critical factors that contribute to the conflict and that prevent mitigation efforts to work can also be outlined. Such issues will help examine the prospects and future directions and expectations of the conflict where the past is used to judge the future. Additionally, an understanding of how the damages affect the future of the country and its people can also be outlined.
A conceptual framework can be designed from the theoretical overview presented. First, it is possible to outline both the dependent and independent variables and the relationship between them. Armed conflict is the independent variable for this study considering it is the subject under exploration. The negative consequences are the independent variables in that their effects are influenced by the progression and trends in the armed conflict. Several consequences can be experienced under each of the categories established in the theoretical framework. The relationship between the variables is that armed conflict caused several forms of damage. Additionally, the effects can be felt at varying degrees depending on the intensity of the armed conflict.
Current Literature
Many scholars have attempted to examine the consequences of armed conflict. There are a few studies that have focused on Nigeria where the effects on various stakeholders have been outlined. For example, a study by Asadu et al. (2021, p. 404), explores how herders and farmers have been involved in a conflict that has been escalating in the recent past. The armed conflict has involved Fulani herdsmen armed with sophisticated weapons attacking and brutally killing natives and vulnerable communities. The government involvement in the clash is often ineffective as it is evidence that the government has achieved little in deescalating the situation. The conflict has been allowed to take another dimension as it evolved into religious and ethnic differences. In this case, the researchers blame the ineffective of the government in its interventions. Women and children have been killed indiscriminately, which illustrates how vulnerable civilians are always the first to suffer the consequences of armed conflict as explained by (Jawad et al., 2020, p. 2). Additionally, the development progress of the country is slowed down by these conflicts.
In addition to civilian mortality, the health and wellbeing of children are also devastated by armed conflict. In the case of Nigeria, severe child undernutrition has been witnessed in conflict-ridden areas where access to water and food becomes a problem (Kraamwinkel et al., 2019, p. 2). The living conditions in conflict regions tend to worsen where access to basic amenities becomes a problem. For a third-world country, the conflicts can cause massive food shortages, which means that children tend to suffer the most from malnutrition. Even such agencies as ICRC may not effectively offer aid and relief when the conflicts are escalating. According to Kraamwinkel et al. (2019, p. 2), the extent of malnutrition may depend on other factors, including maternal education. More educated families may find it easier to escape the war, especially by relocating to urban areas where there are more opportunities for them. however, the remaining population is either displaced or stuck within the rural where farming is usually the primary source of income and nutrition. With conflicts, farming activities are not usually successful as farms and animals may be destroyed.
From a broader socioeconomic perspective, nutritional problems arise from food insecurity. According to Ujunwa, Okoyeuzu, and Kalu (2018, p. 184), the armed conflict has been a key predictor of food security in West Africa. More than one group is involved in armed conflicts in Nigeria, for example, there is Boko Haram, Niger Delta militancy, Fulani herdsmen conflict, inter-religious conflicts, communal clashes, and secessionist agitation. In this situation, it becomes impossible for economic activities to take place, which means that incomes and purchasing power are devastated. Additionally, food production cannot go on due to the disruptions. For instance, the clash between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers means that neither of these groups has the space to practice productive agriculture. The agricultural sector is often the backbone of most countries’ food security, which also applies to Nigeria. Without other sources of revenue to import food from other countries, there is a growing dependence on domestic farmers. In Nigeria, these farmers are either fighting or displaced, which slows down agricultural production.
Population health is another issue to consider in discussions of armed conflict. A case of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeastern Nigeria has been presented by Sato (2019, p. 1), who finds that armed conflict has led to the destruction of healthcare facilities. From a theoretical perspective, most national infrastructures tend to be destroyed by armed conflicts, and healthcare systems are not exempted from this fate. Such organizations as the ICRC are often the only help that affected populations can receive. Vaccinations are a critical practice for a country like Nigeria, especially in times of pandemics. However, the destruction of hospitals and clinics means that these practices cannot proceed, which further affects the health of children. Therefore, it is apparent that injuries are not the only health concern for a population engulfed in an armed conflict. All the diseases preventable by vaccines will not be treated, which means that the possibilities of outbreaks are relatively high. Since most of such illnesses can be contagious, even the dilapidated living conditions can trigger pandemics from just a few cases of illnesses.
Nigeria is a country endowed with many natural resources, whose exploitation should make the country economically strong. However, the armed conflict makes it difficult to utilize the resources. According to Ujunwa et al. (2018), the food insecurity in West Africa is often the result of the countries’ inability to exploit their natural resources. Additionally, many of the conflicts often involve the resources where various groups attempt to gain control of resource-rich regions. Nigeria is an oil-producing country, but the country’s political instability has often led to a steady rise in oil prices. Additionally, the government revenues from oil mining are reduced as mining activities are negatively affected by the clashes (Afangideh and Ujunwa, 2018, p. 1196). Therefore, it can be argued that Nigeria fails to realize its full economic potential since its resources either remain under-exploited or wasted and misused during the conflicts.
Overall, the current literature has focused on different issues caused by the wars. Most importantly, the studies explored have offered a clear view of the nature of the armed conflict in Nigeria. Therefore, broad conclusions can be made regarding the damages of armed conflict. From a socioeconomic perspective, such issues as reduced government revenue, and slowing economic growth can be outlined. Socially, health issues and food insecurity emerge as a result of armed conflict and the inability of the Nigerian communities to live normal life. Politically, the conflicts escalate religious and ethnic tensions and weaken the ability of the government to make fruitful interventions.
Research Gaps
It is important to acknowledge the efforts made by scholars in previous studies to highlight the core issues associated with the armed conflict in Nigeria. However, there is also a need to explore the gaps that have been left and find means of filling them. first, it can be argued that most of the studies have a shallow scope as they focus on narrowed-down aspects of the broader phenomenon. For instance, some have looked at vaccination problems in Nigeria (Sato, 2019). In this case, vaccination is only a small part of a broader national health problem. Others may have explored hunger and food security, which form part of a larger socioeconomic perspective. While the narrow scope helps explore each issue in detail, they fail to paint the bigger picture of the armed conflict. Therefore, a unified view of the issue is absent in the current literature, a gap that can be filled by compiling all issues in a single research document. This way, a clearer view of the armed conflict can be presented where the true extent of the problem is revealed.
Thesis Development
Thesis development is intended to outline the main idea addressed in the research. several steps can be followed in this regard, with the most important being the review of the literature. The literature review section has offered a critical overview of the topic and the underlying issues, which has helped determine the main research gaps. In this case, it can be argued that much of the needed data can be gathered from previous studies and other secondary sources. Additionally, the thesis will be founded on the observation that a unified view of the problem is needed, which leads to the second step of the thesis development: thesis prospectus. With this proposal, the thesis has been fully articulated, which means that the last step is conducting the actual research.
Research Hypothesis
Having reviewed the literature and identified the gaps, several hypotheses can be formulated to offer further guidance to the research process. In this case, the hypotheses are founded on the research objectives and questions, and attention is paid to the amount of detail needed to accomplish the research. Therefore, several hypotheses will be needed for each of the research questions. However, it is important to emphasize that the negative consequences are the main focus, which means that most of the hypotheses will focus on the damages.
- H1: Banditry in Nigeria is the main cause of armed conflict in the country.
- H2: Inadequate government interventions have resulted in the evolution of armed conflict from communal clashes to religious conflict and terrorism.
- H3: The armed conflict in Nigeria receives less media and international attention than other conflicts, which results in slow progress in resolution and mitigation.
- H4: The current efforts to resolve the conflicts are inadequate, which means that the clashes will continue to escalate in the future.
- H5: Armed conflict has become a major cause of civilian death in Nigeria.
- H6: Armed conflict in Nigeria is responsible for food insecurity and child malnutrition.
- H7: Armed conflict in Nigeria limits the country’s ability to exploit its natural resources.
- H8: Government revenue and other resources are wasted and misused during the armed conflict, which slows down the country’s development.
- H9: The national health problems have escalated as a result of armed conflict.
These hypotheses have outlined some of the major issues revealed by the literature revealed. However, considering that only a few of the scholarly works focus on each of them, it is argued that the current data is inadequate to paint a vivid picture of the situation. Therefore, more data will be sourced to support each of the hypotheses. Additionally, it is important to emphasize that the data collected may yield other issues, but the analysis should reveal what new concepts emerge and that should be addressed in future research.
Chapter Summary
The literature review chapter has presented several elements that help form the foundation for the research. First, the theoretical and conceptual frameworks have helped outline the core ideas of the study, especially the dependent and independent variables. Second, a literature review outlines what scholarly works have explored the topic where the key findings have been outlined. A section on research gaps expresses what is missing in the available literature. In this case, the narrow scope has been seen to make it difficult to paint the whole picture of the social problem. Thesis development and research hypotheses have also been included in the chapter.
Research Methods
Research Approach
As part of the research methods, a scholar has to select the approaches to be used. the most common approaches are quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. According to Ahmad et al., 2019, p. 2828), quantitative research comprises a set of techniques, assumptions, and strategies deployed to explore numeric patterns. Therefore, numerical data is collected and analyzed using the appropriate analytical tools, including statistical methods and software. Qualitative research differs significantly from quantitative approaches in that naturalistic inquiry is used to conduct a more in-depth examination of a social phenomenon. The focus of qualitative methods is on making meaning from the data collected. Mixed methods combine aspects of both qualitative and quantitative, each of which is implemented to a certain extent. Some research problems may not be effectively resolved by a single approach, which may necessitate a mix of both.
This research will use a qualitative approach to address the questions and test the hypotheses. The rationale for this selection is that this approach allows for more in-depth analysis, something that can hardly be achieved with a quantitative approach. The armed conflict in Nigeria is a serious problem and its facts are many and diverse. Therefore, massive amounts of qualitative data will be needed to explain the situation and compare opinions and perceptions.
Research Design
Qualitative methods comprise several designs, each of which is best applied to certain situations. In this case, the context and scope of the research require an in-depth analysis, which makes a case study design the most rational choice. A definition of case study research has been presented by Hoorani, Nair, and Gibbert (2019, p. 287), who expresses that case studies are ideal for building, testing, and refining theory. A single holistic design denotes a scenario where there is only one case and is explored in detail. This research focuses on Nigeria, which represents the case, and details of its armed conflict investigated at length. As a case study, the focus is on gathering and analyzing as much data as possible where comprehensive conclusions can be developed. The conclusions will be in the form of a theory that has been built, tested, and refined. This procedure involved the use of hypotheses, which can be seen as proposed theories. The data collection and analysis will be viewed as testing the hypotheses/theories, and the following discussion refines the theories.
Data collection and Analysis
Case study research is founded on the principle that in-depth exploration of the phenomenon is pursued to allow the development, testing, and refining of theories. According to Hoorani, Nair, and Gibbert (2019, p. 287), scholars in qualitative research emphasize the importance of discussing the rationale behind the collection of data. The idea is that the data used must be compelling, which means that the time period and location of the data have to be justified. In this case, the first element to clarify is that the study uses secondary data from multiple sources. The nature of the research means that documented evidence serves better than exploring current opinions. Additionally, facts and figures are more important than what people feel or believe about the armed conflict in Nigeria. Therefore, documented evidence provided the best data source possible for this study.
Another point to make is that a variety of data sources are explored, which allows the researcher to gather a diverse view of the issue. Most importantly, the news media may prove critical, especially since the conflict has been significantly covered by both local and international media companies. Records from international bodies, including the UN and ICRC, are also important, especially where factual data and figures are needed. The official data from any government body will also be needed, which means that the researcher has to devise a plan for accessing data from all these sources. A comparison between the data will be made to ensure that all reported and documented events have been presented in a unified view. Gaps from one source may also be filled by data from another, which further justifies the use of multiple sources.
Many qualitative studies use content or thematic analysis for their data. Content analysis often focuses on providing a simple but in-depth report of the differences and commonalities in the data (Vaisoradi and Snelgrove, 2019, p. 7). However, the thematic analysis offers a richer and more complex interpretation of the data. In this case, thematic analysis is regarded as the right approach to data analysis since the focus of the scholar is to exhaustively explore the case to help make the intended point. In other words, the fact that the armed conflict in Nigeria has been ignored in research means that there is a need to offer as many details as possible to help create awareness and attract the attention that Nigeria deserves. Additionally, updates across all aspects of the conflict are necessary, which means that the research becomes even broader. The thematic analysis offers more room than content analysis in these conditions.
Using theme analysis, the research has to develop the themes before data collection. This means that the practice of gathering data is guided and confined within the scope of the themes. In this case, the hypotheses developed in the previous chapter will form the framework on which the themes are built. Coding the data will involve placing as much data as possible within a given theme and using evidence to explain and interpret the data. At the end of each theme analysis, a sound conclusion is presented, which either proves or disproves the hypothesis. The discussion chapter should compile all these outcomes and express what theory has been developed, tested, and refined, as well as explain how the data addresses the research question.
Ethical Issues
Ethical approval will be needed for this research, which means that the potential ethical issues that the scholar expects to encounter should be outlined, including how they will be addressed. According to Reid et al. (2018, p. 69), ethical tensions and dilemmas are a common phenomenon, particularly for qualitative research. The rationale is that social issues are often explored in qualitative studies. However, it is important to acknowledge that most of the ethical considerations are given to situations where people are involved, where such challenges as confidentiality, informed consent, and privacy are faced. In this case, the use of secondary data means that such encounters are avoided, which means that other problems have to be addressed. Most importantly, the topic under investigation is highly sensitive, which means that the research must avoid any partisan stances that may worsen the situation. Therefore, all arguments made have to be backed by evidence to avoid creating any bias and conflict of interest. Another ethical concern will be acknowledging all materials used as sources of secondary data. Proper academic guidelines are deployed in this regard to credit authors and publishers of the data used.
Schedule
The table below summarizes the project schedule in the form of major milestones and their deliverables. Some aspects of the research are given considerable amounts of time due to the weight they carry within the research exercise. Most importantly, data collection and analysis are allowed to take as much time as possible since this is a case study where the main concern is in-depth detail. The milestones highlight what will be achieved at each stage of the research.
Table 1: Research schedule
Reference List
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Asadu, N. et al. (2021) ‘Dangers of herders and farmers conflict to national development in Nigeria’, Journal of Social Sciences, 6(3), pp. 403-417.
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Utsumi, Y. (2022) ‘Armed conflict, education access, and community resilience: evidence from the Afghanistan NRVA Survey 2005 and 2007’, International Journal of Educational Development, 88, pp. 1-16.
Vaisoradi, M. and Snelgrove, S. (2019) ‘Theme in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis’, Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung , 20(3), pp. 1-14.