Student

Ever since independence from Britain in 1960, the African nation of Nigeria has been torn apart by wars, violence and ethnic conflict. The most famous of these disputes is of course the Biafran War which raged for nearly three years in 1967-70 as a result of the attempted secession from Nigeria by three eastern states. Nigeria has also undergone several periods of military rule. Today it is free of this, however the situation is as unstable as ever and violence and corruption abound.

The instability and confusion of this region can only be understood by starting at the beginning of the story. This is not, as it would seem, 1960 when Nigeria was granted independence from Britain. In fact, many of the conflicts which rage today have their roots in the events which took place whilst Nigeria was under British colonial rule.

Pre-colonialism, the country called Nigeria did not exist. In its place was a hugely diverse scattering of tribes and communities, some of whom had territory which overlaps the borders of present day Nigeria. These varied groups with different languages, cultures and political practices were all brought together under British rule to form an entirely artificial nation. The arbitrary drawing of borders which was so common to Africa in colonial times paid little attention to the natural ethnic lines of the tribes. Whilst the Western world regarded them all as Nigerians, they considered themselves as primarily members of whichever tribe from which they originated.

In addition to this, Britain also imposed on Nigeria a Westminster style government system which was entirely different to the way the different tribes had previously governed themselves. This included the introduction of political parties. Whilst under British rule, the various parties, which were usually primarily made up of members of specific tribes, shared a common goal: autonomy from Britain. This became their sole national interest and for a while the tribes were united under...