Boko Haram terrorism and Nigeria National Integration: A Philosophical analysis

Abstract

The prediction of the break-up of Nigeria by 2015 is premised on existential situations accruing from the nation's political and multiethnic settings. If such prediction took cognizance of the possibility of insurgency based on the reality of ethnic struggles from different quarters of the country, it precluded the likelihood of terrorism. Initiated as a Muslim youth organization with the intent of revolt against Western tradition, Boko Haram, since inception, has graduated to international terror sect with established links with Al-Qa`ida core and Al-Shabab. The quest of Nigeria national integration presupposes the reality of conflict within a commonwealth of multiethnic diversity. To what extent do the ethnic facets of the nation desire to belong to Nigerian sovereignty in the face of multifarious ethnic conflicts? Is Nigeria a nation-state or a multi-nation? The sectional various agitations for justice and true federalism tend to signal the indication that the current entity Nigeria remains an experiment. With the tool of philosophical analysis, this paper examines the  implications of the inclusion of Boko Haram terrorism to these lingering agitations vis-à-vis national integration. The paper submits that Boko Haram activities incite the dichotomy between reality and perception. Whereas Boko Haram deeds could be pure acts of terrorism, the sects' various perceptions by the citizenry remain susceptible to igniting reactions inimical to national integration.