Historical Roots and Colonial Influence
📌 The current conflict in Nigeria traces back to the early 20th century when the British ruled two major territories: the Southern Protectorate (exposed to Western/Christian influence) and the Northern Protectorate (strongly organized under traditional Islamic Emirates).
🇬🇧 In 1914, the two regions were merged into one colony using "indirect rule," which reinforced existing divisions by strengthening Muslim traditional leaders in the North while allowing more Western/missionary influence in the South.
🗺️ This policy exacerbated differences, making the North more Islamically homogeneous and traditional, while the South became more fragmented, with many adopting Western education and modern administration roles.

Post-Independence Political Structure and Competition
⚖️ After gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria became a federation built on three powerful, competing regional blocks dominated by major ethnic groups (Hausa/Fulani/Muslim in the North, Yoruba in the West, Igbo/Christian in the East).
⚔️ Competition focused on three main areas: control of federal political power, access to the civil bureaucracy and military (key to economic stability), and, critically after the 1960s, control over increasing oil revenue ("The Black Gold").
🩸 Tensions peaked, leading to the first military coup in January 1966, led by Igbo officers, which was perceived by the North as a military domination attempt, triggering a brutal counter-coup in July 1966.

The Civil War and Lingering Trauma
💀 The 1966 pogroms targeting Igbo civilians in the North destroyed trust, leading the Eastern leaders to declare the Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967, sparking the Nigerian Civil War (over three years).
famine 🚫 The Nigerian federal government responded with a total blockade, causing catastrophic famine that killed an estimated over 2 million civilians, creating a lasting collective trauma of being targeted by the state.
✊ The memory of forced starvation fuels contemporary Biafran separatist rhetoric (like that of IPOB led by Namdi Kanu), seeking independence based on past persecution and current marginalization.

Modern Conflicts: Resource Competition and Extremism
🌾 Contemporary conflicts, especially in the Middle Belt, are primarily rooted in resource competition (land and water) between nomadic Muslim herders (Fulani) and Christian farming communities, which political actors quickly frame as religious war.
💣 The rise of modern jihadist groups like Boko Haram in the Northeast merges radical religious ideology with the socio-economic desperation of the poorest, most marginalized regions, viewing Western education and secular bureaucracy as corrupt.
💰 The enduring violence fuels a "war economy": conflict benefits local elites, private security firms, and military contractors through inflated defense budgets, with reports showing significant security funds disappearing due to corruption (Nigeria's 2023 Corruption Perception Index score was only 26 out of 100).

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The core drivers of conflict in Nigeria are identity politics (ethnic/religious) layered over fundamental struggles for control over political power and resource distribution (especially oil and land).
➡️ Impunity is a major enabler of violence; the consistent lack of thorough investigation and prosecution for atrocities allows perpetrators to act without consequence, fostering cycles of retribution.
➡️ The economic incentives of perpetual conflict—such as arms sales, security contracts, and the opportunistic seizure of land and oil blocks after population displacement—ensure that war is profitable for specific powerful networks, including elements of the political and military elite.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 05, 2026, 08:06 UTC