CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                           INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has a long history of conflict among religious and ethnic communities as well as election conflicts. Recently, Nigeria is being attacked by a terrorist group called “Boko Haram”.

Boko Haram is a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. It has been active in Nigeria since 2009. The name of the group means “Western” or “non-Islamic” education is a sin (The Nation online, 2011). The group is quite active in the northern part of Nigeria, and proposes to impose Islamic law as the only law in Nigeria. It also wants to outlaw education that is not based on Islam in the country. The group sees itself as similar to the Taliban, which are active in Afghanistan. Locally, the group is known as the “Taliban”.

The group has been able to survive counterterrorist measures by the Nigerian government and has increased its attacks on targets inside and outside its traditional area of operation.

The group was formed in Maiduguri, Borno state in 2002. It does not oppose only western education but western culture and modern science as well. The group also forbids the wearing of shirts and pants and the act of voting in elections. In its view, the Nigerian state is run by non-believers (Farouk, 2011).

According to Murtada (2013), the real name of Boko Haram was Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lid da’awati Wal-Jihad, (congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad). The word Boko Haram means western education is forbidden. The group emerged in early 2000s as small Sunni Islamic group advocating a strict interpretation and implementation of Islamic law in Nigeria. Initially, the sect’s leadership did not call for violence; its followers engaged in periodic clashes with security during its formative years (Blanchard, 2014). There is a growing suspicion among Nigerians about the real identity and motive of Boko Haram sect. Most Muslims see it as an extension of Maitatsine sect which was established in 1945 to transport turmoil to Islam as it was confirmed that Maitatsine was not a Muslim until his death, while a reasonable number of Christians see it as an attempt to Islamize Nigerians while some are indifferent (Shehu, 2014). In 2009, the activities of Boko Haram had transformed from a local peace militia into a violent group, after the government attacked the members of the group in some major cities of northern Nigeria, which led to five days violent clashes between the group members and the Nigerian forces and resulted in killing the sect leader, Muhammad Yusuf in Maiduguri, and more than 700 other people (Blanchard, 2014). After the 2009 uprising, the activities of the sect was slow. The violence re-emergence of the group in 2010 came up with a new tactics that include suicide bombing, kidnapping, and attacking Islamic clerics, Mosques and churches in the country.

Nigeria witnessed the first suicide bombings in police headquarters and United Nation’s office in Abuja (Blanchard, 2014). The activities of the sect escalated when on 14th April, 2014 the sect kidnapped 250 female students from Government Girl’s Secondary school Chibok in Borno State (Zenn, 2014). Also, Boko Haram and Ansaru were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United State Security Department in November 2013. Ansaru was the Boko Haram faction that earlier in 2013 kidnapped and executed seven foreigners who were working with international construction companies. Subsequently, the United Nations Committee on Al Qaeda sanction blacklisted the group on 22nd May, 2014 as one of the world terrorist organisations. The United Nation listing entry describes Boko Haram as an affiliate of Al-Qaeda and also one of the organisations of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) (Reuters, 2014).

Boko Haram is an Islamic sect that believes northern politics has been seized by a group of corrupt, false Muslims. It wants to wage a war against them, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria generally, to create a “pure” Islamic state ruled by sharia law. Since 2009 it has been driven by a desire for vengeance against politicians, police, and Islamic authorities for their role in a brutal suppression of the group that year. But the group has proved itself to be very adaptable, evolving its tactics swiftly and changing its targets at the behest of a charismatic leadership. The group leapt onto the world’s agenda in August 2011, when it bombed the United Nations compound in Abuja, killing twenty-three people.

The inhuman activities of the boko haram ranging from kidnaps of school girls, to killings to bombings, release of inmates from bauchi prison etc. has left Nigeria in a state of confusion and insecurity. This has hindered a lot of socio-economic activities such as investments, education, farming and government activities. The state and region itself has suffered a lot of degradation and stagnation because of the boko haram activities. This automatically has affected the nation. Development in this region and the nation at large is being handicapped. Even foreign investors would try to thread gently on the Nigerian soil before coming into the country to invest because of insecurity reasons.

1.2       STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The height of terrorism and violence in Nigeria by the fundamentalist set (Boko Haram) has heightened fears among the populace and the global society and has eaten deep hooked on our economy and as a subject of fact; the antagonism has gone beyond religious or political shadow. Several meetings, high point conferences etc have been held in a bid to curb the menace in the country but all to no benefit. Also, distant from the fact that meetings have been held, the Federal Government has spent millions of naira in ensuring that safety is brought back to the country but that has never worked. Can we say that the Boko Haram danger could be seen from the disagreement that Islam which give hope to the poor Muslims is being endangered out of extermination by Christianity and the Muslim youth who derive hope of a brighter future from the teaching of Islam are fighting to defend the survival of the hope of the hopeless Muslims, or do we see the insurgency from the prism of nationalism? The ideology and funding source as the fundamental factor that propelled terrorism in Nigeria is a source of worry. Boko Haram crisis is a source threat to Nigerian’s economy. Military option is seen as not yielding probable solution in tackling the menace. The recent activities of the Boko haram sect has caused a lot of harm to the nation. Particularly, it has shifted the attention of the government to itself, depriving concentration to other sectors of the nation. Growth and development in the state has equally been shortened because of the great reduction in trading and other activities like foreign investment. All these has motivated the need for this research to study the implication of boko haram activities on the national development of Nigeria.

1.3   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to find out the implications of boko haram on the national development of Nigeria, specifically the study intends to

1. To critically cross examine the implication of boko haram activities on national development in Nigeria.
2. To study whether the measures of the Nigerian government to curb boko haram activities is effective enough.
3. To analyze if there can be national development even with the activities of boko haram.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This work is designed to provide answers to the following questions:

1. Does the boko haram activities have any implication on national development of Nigeria?
2. Is the federal government measures to curb boko haram activities effective enough?
3. Can there be development in the nation with the activity of boko haram?

1.5   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research covers development in Nigeria, the effects, implication the Boko haram terrorist has on the growth and development of the Nigeria economy also the rate of the development before Boko haram emerge in Nigeria and during the terrorist reign.

1.6     SIGNIFICANCE   OF   THE    STUDY

This study will be of great importance to the government at various levels to the negative effect the Boko haram terrorist is having on the Nigeria economy in terms of growth and national development. The economy GDP reduces everyday due to the facts that investors are leaving the economy because there is no adequate security for them, however this research will open the government eye to the billions we lose every day, also this research work will serve as a guide or reference to other research who will embark on same research.

1.7   LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

As the case usually is, there are certain limitations the researcher will be faced with in the cause of this work. One is in the area is finance for the general research. Apart from finance, research work of this nature is often done within a time bound as well as geographical factors.

However, it is believed that these constraints will be checkmated by making the best use of the materials available materials and spending more than the necessary time in the research work, therefore, it is strongly believed that despite these constraint, its effect on this research report will be minimal, thus, making the objective and significance of the study achievable.

1.8       METHODOLOGY

Secondary sources of gathering data will be largely employed for our variables. This again will be based on content analysis, what these involves is the critical review of related materials, literatures, journals, magazines and textbooks, it will also involve sourcing or browsing the net for materials. Communication with authorities in the field will also not be overlooked.

1.9     KEY WORDS

Objectives: a thing aimed at or sought; a goal.

Public relations: the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person.