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Undead Past: What Drives Support for the Secessionist Goal of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Nigeria?

Author

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  • Daniel Tuki

    (Research fellow, Migration Integration and Transnationalization Department, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Germany)

Abstract

Although the secessionist conflict in Nigeria’s Eastern Region has persisted for over two decades and become increasingly violent, no study has, to the best of my knowledge, examined the factors influencing support for secession using representative data for Nigeria. This study fills that gap. Relying upon the horizontal inequalities (HEs) theory, this study examines the effect of ethnic marginalization and socioeconomic condition on support for secession. Among members of the Igbo ethnic group, perceived ethnic marginalization was found to increase the likelihood of supporting secession. Keeping all covariates at their mean levels, a unit increase in perceived ethnic marginalization increases the likelihood to “strongly agree” with secession by 13 percent. Socioeconomic condition was measured at the individual, household, and communal levels. The individual and household measures had no effect on support for secession, but the communal measure did. However, the results contravened the prediction of the HEs theory: improvements in socioeconomic condition at the communal level rather increased the likelihood of supporting secession. Belonging to the Igbo ethnic group was also found to increase the likelihood of supporting secession. Compared to non-Igbos, Igbos are 16 percent more likely to “strongly agree” with secession and 32 percent less likely to “strongly disagree” with it.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Tuki, 2022. "Undead Past: What Drives Support for the Secessionist Goal of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Nigeria?," HiCN Working Papers 374, Households in Conflict Network.
    • Handle: RePEc:hic:wpaper:374
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frances Stewart, 2000. "Crisis Prevention: Tackling Horizontal Inequalities," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 245-262.
    2. Paul Collier & Anke Hoeffler, 2000. "Greed and Grievance in Civil War," CSAE Working Paper Series 2000-18, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    3. Paul Collier & Anke Hoeffler, 2004. "Greed and grievance in civil war," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 56(4), pages 563-595, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tuki, Daniel, 2023. "Violent conflict and hostility towards ethno-religious outgroups in Nigeria," SocArXiv 2er9a, Center for Open Science.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ethnic marginalization; horizontal inequalities; indigenous people of biafra; ipob; nigeria; secession;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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