Boko Haram Violence In Nigeria

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Research Methods and Limitations

In undertaking its research, this paper used mainly secondary sources in the form of books, academic journals and non-governmental reports. This choice was dictated not only by the qualitative nature of the project but also by the substantive lack of primary sources available. Indeed, a large majority of the attempts to create databases about Boko Haram violence in Nigeria have been based on information produced by the central government, international organisations operating in the region and journalists. However, such information is rather scant and fragmented, making it hard to prove its reliability and validity. Indeed, journalists have been largely targeted by Boko Haram, which means that accurate reporting …show more content…

More specifically, state failure denotes a lack of administrative capacity and political will in Abuja – the capital city of Nigeria – that are reflected in the economic breakdown, social fragmentation along ethnic lines and a general lack of security throughout the country. According to Jonathan Hill, what ‘failure’ practically means is that the state is dysfunctional and cannot perform two key functions: first, it does not hold direct control over all of its territory; second, it is not able to provide its citizens with security, basic services (such as healthcare and education), and other essential public goods . As pointed out by James Forest, nepotism, tribalism, and patronage play a key role in determining how the government is ruled and power and wealth distributed . This is because, as in many other African countries, holding positions of power means having access to natural resources and national wealth. Indeed, Nigeria has abundant raw materials (mainly oil, natural gas and coal) but their allocation is problematic to say the least . The uneven distribution of resources eventually reflects into socio-economic inequality and the high level of structural violence: lack of infrastructure, almost no basic services, high levels of unemployment, income disparities, no social security, poor medical services, and minimal opportunities for young people in a country where half of the population is under-19 . The chronic inclination of the political class and national elites to abuse their roles is regarded as a major manifestation of state failure. In fact, corruption permeates the main legislative, judiciary and security institutions, thus ensuring that the phenomenon remains unpunished . As the central government has

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