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Submitted
July 26, 2023
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December 15, 2024
Published
December 26, 2024
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Abstract

 This paper examined the factors sustaining separatist agitation in southeastern Nigeria. This study sourced information from secondary materials. Twenty articles published between 2018 and 2023 were purposively and randomly selected from peer-reviewed and open-access journals through the Google search engine using the phrase Biafra separatist agitation in Nigeria. The Greed and grievance, and elite theories were synthesized to analyze the agitation. The study argued that the factors sustaining Biafra separatist agitation in Nigeria can be classified as internal and external. While the internal factors are particular to the country and include military response, corruption, fear of dominance, marginalization, and failed nationalism, external factors include the proliferation of ammunition and the interest of the power blocs. In the class of factors, the elite remains necessary because it is an essential feature of human organization. Hence, the paper concluded that the elite remains the driving force behind Biafra separatist agitation in southeastern Nigeria because the unity of the elite or otherwise determines the situation in a nation. The paper suggests adequate public orientation to the masses. In addition, government institutions should be strengthened to provide services for citizens rather than based on identity.

Keywords

Civil war Elite interest Military response Secessionist agitation Nigeria

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Copyright (c) 2024 Rotimi Adeforiti, Sunday Owen Abang

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Author Biographies

Rotimi Adeforiti, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria

Rotimi Adeforiti teaches public policy at the Department of Political Science at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. His research areas include public administration and public policy. He holds a doctorate degree in political science from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Sunday Owen Abang , Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria

Sunday Owen Abang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Olabisi Onabanjo University, located in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. He is the current Head of Department and his area of research interest is Security.

How to Cite
Adeforiti, R., & Abang , S. O. (2024). No Victor, No Vanquish in the Nigerian Civil War: Analysis of the Recurrent Biafra Separatist Agitation in Southeastern Nigeria. Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 5(2), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.56893/pajes2024v05i02.03
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