Managing Ethno-Religious Problems in a Divided Society: Evolving Response of International Institutions in Nigeria

Ethno-religious conflicts have found its way into every sphere of Nigeria. The consequences of these conflicts have extended beyond the borders of Nigeria into neighboring countries in Africa such as Cameron and chad. It has also gained headings at the international level. The spread of ethno-religious conflict in Nigeria includes the prominent Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) which is bases on ethnic motivation recognition and Boko Haram insurgence which clearly have its origin on religious ideologies; the harm caused by these two groups cannot be underestimated. Amongst other factors, this thesis ascribe the cases, emergence and flourishing of the two groups to be as a result of weak state institutions in Nigeria. So far, the Nigeria government has clearly shown ineffectualness in curbing these insurgencies. Thus, this research aims to find a balance on the roles of international community in resolving ethno-religious conflict in Nigeria. The research is divided into six chapters: The first chapter is the introduction. It introduces the research and states the questions which the research tend to answer, significants of the study, the hypotheses, methodology, and the theoretical framework of the research. The next chapter critically reviews important literature in ethno-relgious conflict and international instittions present in the Nigeria. The third chapter gives an overview and Comparison of Boko Haram and Niger Delta Avengers. Chapters four and five provides evidence for the hypotheses and the sixth chapter concludes and gives further recommendations.