Ethnic Conflicts
The Tiv-Jukun Ethnic Conflict and the Citizenship Question in Nigeria
Moses T. ALUAIGBA Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Bayero University, Kano
Abstract
The negative consequences of the Tiv-Jukun ethnic conflict and other similar conflicts in Nigeria have stimulated the debate on citizenship in the country. This debate is driven by questions that hinge on contestable issues such as who is an indigene in Nigeria, why should other Nigerians be termed non-indigenes, settlers, migrants in other parts of the country and what should be the rights of Nigerian citizens? Using the Tiv-Jukun conflict as an example, this paper deals with the trajectory of the Nigerian citizenship crisis evoked by Nigerian experiences of discrimination when living in places other than where they come from. It suggests that for the citizenship crisis to be tackled, Nigerians from all backgrounds must enjoy boundless access to basic rights and freedom wherever they live in the country; besides this, citizenship contestation and the conflicts it rolls out represents a danger for national integration.
INTRODUCTION The Tiv-Jukun conflict is among the numerous ethnic conflicts that have blotted stability and instigated economic and social dislocation in Nigeria lately. The conflict is one of the protracted inter-ethnic feuds (Egwu, 1998: 65; IRIN, 2001: 2) that have occurred in 1959, 1980, 1990 and 2001. Like for conflicts such as the Zangon-Kataf conflict in Kaduna State, Aguleri-Umuleri in Anambra State, the Mango-Bokkos conflict in Plateau State, the Ife-Modakeke feud in Oyo State and so on; the land factor has been one of the central issues stimulating clashes between the Tiv and the Jukun people (Egwu, 2004: 56). The reason why land remains a predisposing factor in the escalation of violence between these two ethnic groups is the role played by the use of the indigene-settler divide as a tool for claiming their right to it. For the Jukun, the Tiv are settlers in the
Moses T. ALUAIGBA Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Bayero University, Kano
Abstract
The negative consequences of the Tiv-Jukun ethnic conflict and other similar conflicts in Nigeria have stimulated the debate on citizenship in the country. This debate is driven by questions that hinge on contestable issues such as who is an indigene in Nigeria, why should other Nigerians be termed non-indigenes, settlers, migrants in other parts of the country and what should be the rights of Nigerian citizens? Using the Tiv-Jukun conflict as an example, this paper deals with the trajectory of the Nigerian citizenship crisis evoked by Nigerian experiences of discrimination when living in places other than where they come from. It suggests that for the citizenship crisis to be tackled, Nigerians from all backgrounds must enjoy boundless access to basic rights and freedom wherever they live in the country; besides this, citizenship contestation and the conflicts it rolls out represents a danger for national integration.
INTRODUCTION The Tiv-Jukun conflict is among the numerous ethnic conflicts that have blotted stability and instigated economic and social dislocation in Nigeria lately. The conflict is one of the protracted inter-ethnic feuds (Egwu, 1998: 65; IRIN, 2001: 2) that have occurred in 1959, 1980, 1990 and 2001. Like for conflicts such as the Zangon-Kataf conflict in Kaduna State, Aguleri-Umuleri in Anambra State, the Mango-Bokkos conflict in Plateau State, the Ife-Modakeke feud in Oyo State and so on; the land factor has been one of the central issues stimulating clashes between the Tiv and the Jukun people (Egwu, 2004: 56). The reason why land remains a predisposing factor in the escalation of violence between these two ethnic groups is the role played by the use of the indigene-settler divide as a tool for claiming their right to it. For the Jukun, the Tiv are settlers in the
References: 18 Appendix: Details of Research Interviews Conducted During Fieldwork in Benue and Taraba States on February 9 – 28, 2008 as Part of a Study on the Tiv-Jukun Ethnic Conflict S/N o