NIGERIA (AFRICA)

Some Straight Facts about Nigeria(AFRICA)

Intro & Background.

Nigeria is home to 250 ethnic groups.(faulani ,hassa AND yourba as major ones).In the 19th Century British colonized Nigeria into two factions.

Northern Nigeria (mostly Muslim) and

Southern Nigeria (mostly Christian)

 The two were joined in 1941 to form the colony of Nigeria but the people have never been truly united. The British undermined Nigerian nationalism by encouraging tribalism, choosing to rule indirectly through local chiefs.

 Nigeria became an independent nation on 1 October 1960 and entrenched ethnic tensions and power struggles began to simmer. Nigeria's post colonial history has been rocky and bloody..

                                     Since independence, Nigeria has experienced three Republics, five coups and a Civil war, not to mention a severely battered economy.

                                     As one of the leading oil producers in the world, Nigeria has been a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since 1971

The oil-rich Nigerian economy has been long hobbled by political instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management

                                Mostly Northern Muslims ruled Nigeria from independence until Olusegun Obasanjo, a southerner and strongly Christian Yoruba(Ethnic Group), was democratically elected President in February 1999 .

This inflamed the northern Muslims clerks & Conservatives. To regain power and prestige, they have reinvented themselves as religious reformers.

 The Nigerian Constitution prohibits the government from adopting any religion, ensuring the separation of Church and state.

BOKO HARAM

Founded in 2002,Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.

This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.

Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers. It launched Military operation in 2009 to create Islamic state. It even declared a caliphate in area it controlled later most territory was regained by Nigerian army. In 2013 US designated it as a Terrorist group.

ISIS is strengthening ties with Boko haram.

"The Nigeria-based Boko Haram terrorist group has killed more people than Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL), claiming 6,644 lives compared to 6,073 killed by IS, revealed the Global Terrorism Index recently published by the Institute for Economic and Peace (IEP). The Nigerian jihadists pledged allegiance to IS in March 2015."

                                          Although Nigeria’s Muslim population, estimated at 60 million, is largely Sunni, the Shia minority is significant. There are no actual statistics, but some sources estimate the number to be between 4 million and 10 million followers of Shia Islam. The movement is especially strong in northeast Nigeria, the area where Boko Haram operates.

Nigeria’s Khomeini,  Ibrahem Zakzaky and IMN (Islamic Movement of Nigeria)

Ibraheem Zakzaky is a Shi'a Muslim cleric in Nigeria, and head of Nigeria's Islamic Movement (IMN). In 1980s, Ibraheem Zakzaky introduced Shia Islam in Nigeria, which formerly had only Sunni Muslims. He has been arrested several times by the Nigerian government in 1980s and 1990s.]Recently, after Nigerian army's December 12 attacks on IMN members which has been described as a massacre by human rights activists, Zakzaky was injured and arrested by the army. Since then, his exact whereabouts and conditions remain unknown

                                    Boko Haram wreaks havoc while the Nigerian army kills unarmed peaceful Zakzay's followers.