Separatist movements of Nigeria want to achieve state

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

, which is the withdrawal of one or more states from the multinational Federal Republic of Nigeria. The only act of secession in Nigeria occurred from 1967 to 1970 during the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

, when the breakaway republic of

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

declared its independence from Nigeria and was eventually defeated. Ever since then, Nigeria has experienced the emergence of separatist movements seeking the independence of Biafra as well as other proposed states.

History

Colonial era

1914

Separatist sentiments first occurred in 1914, when

Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...

unified the

Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria (Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914 and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate an ...

(predominantly Muslim) and the

Southern Nigeria Protectorate Southern Nigeria was a British Empire, British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria formed in 1900 from the union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger ...

(predominantly pagan/animist and Christian) into the single colony of Nigeria>

Ahmadu Bello Ahmadu Ibrahim Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto (12 June 1910–15 January 1966), knighted as Sir Ahmadu Bello, was a conservative Nigerian statesman who masterminded Northern Nigeria through the independence of Nigeria in 1960 and served as its first a ...

in his autobiography noted the unpopularity in Northern Nigeria of the merger, likely referring to the native Islamic rulers of Northern Nigeria.

1950s

As Nigeria was transitioning towards self-rule during the 1950s, new constitutional arrangements and rivalries between political parties intensified secessionist rhetoric. A particular point of contention centered around

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, which was the capital of Nigeria at the time. Delegates from the predominantly Igbo Eastern Region regarded Lagos as a "no man's land", while delegates from the predominantly Yoruba Western Region regarded Lagos to be a culturally Yoruba city to be governed strictly on their terms.

Obafemi Awolowo Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe Om ...

, the premier of Western Region, sent a letter which stated the freedom of Western Region to "decide whether or not they will remain on the proposed Nigerian Federation", implicitly threatening secession.

Post-independence

Secessionist sentiments re-emerged during the federal election of December 1964 and the Western Region election of 1965. President

Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), usually referred to as "Zik", was a Nigerian statesman and political leader who served as the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. Considered a driving force behind the n ...

stated: However, in response, Ahmadu Bello reiterated the 1963 constitution of Nigeria had no provision for secession.

Separatist movements

Separatist movements include: * The

Indigenous People of Biafra The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a nationalist separatist group in Nigeria that aims to restore the Republic of Biafra, a country which seceded from Nigeria prior to the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) and later rejoined Nigeria after i ...

(IPOB) and its arm wing the

Eastern Security Network The Eastern Security Network (ESN) is the paramilitary organization of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a pro-Biafra separatist movement. Background The Igbo people lost the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War, during which they attempted to ...

who support the independence of Biafra. They are allied with the

Anglophone Cameroonian Anglophone Cameroonians are the people of various cultural backgrounds, most of who hail from the English-speaking regions of Cameroon (Northwest and Southwest Regions). These regions were formerly known as the British Southern Cameroons, being p ...

independence movement Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

. * The Oduduwa Republic, a

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

secessionist movement, * The Arewa Republic, in the North of the country, * The

Niger Delta Republic This is a list of currently active separatist movements in Africa. Separatism includes autonomism and secessionism. What is and is not considered an autonomist or secessionist movement is sometimes contentious. Entries on this list must meet three ...

, supported by the Niger Delta Liberation Front and the

Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is a decentralised militant group in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. MEND's actionsincluding sabotage, theft, property destruction, guerrilla warfare, and kidnappingare part of the br ...

, leading to the 2016 Niger Delta conflict. As of 2021, according to the US

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

, only a minority of the Igbo and the Yoruba support separatism.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nigerian Separatist Movements Political organizations based in Nigeria