Indigenes and Settlers Conflict in Nigeria: A Negation to National Integration and Nation Building

Abstract

The issue of indigenes and settlers rivalry has remained for many decades the principal source of intractable intra/inter-communal violent conflicts in Nigeria. As a result of the intransigent trend, many communities have been destroyed, cases of colossal loss of lives and properties have been recorded, and millions of displaced people have been vulnerable to abuses, hunger, infections, epidemics and other related consequences. Women and children are the major victims of this inconsequential aberration to rule of law and good governance. These problems of communal and ethnic rivalries seem to have overwhelmed governments as the crises are being managed rather than being resolved. The objective of this article is to investigate the root causes of the intra/inter-communal conflicts which centred on indigenes and settlers rivalries and its effect on national integration and nation building, which structural mechanism guarantees harmonious co-existence of all tribes irrespective of location, religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation. The article will also investigate why governments at all levels have failed to proffer enduring solution to this scourge. Qualitative method was adopted for documentary evidence, as it was considered the appropriate method for data generation; and content analysis was applied as method of data analysis. The study revealed that lopsided redistribution of society benefits and the unhealthy struggle for scarce economic resources, cultural heritage syndrome and distrust are the main causes of indigenous claim and settlers discrimination. There is need for Nigerian people to live together in harmony and harness the abundant resources for the development of the country.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p218