MIGRATION AND CONFLICT IN THE POST COLONIAL AFRICA: A CASE OF FARMERS-HERDERS CONFLICT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria's landscape has been affected by climate change for decades. Desert is fast encroaching into the northern region of the country, which is characterised by severe drought, and the country's rivers are at their lowest levels in years. Thus, conflicts are encountered due to irregular migration in this aspect of the country, which are attempts to survive under these severe conditions. Conflict arises when there is competition for limited resources, and this competition is brought by climatic change and environmental degradation in the country. Farmers and herders are at odds over these limited resources, and the conflict has turned violent. Economic survival which are land-related remains the major cause of the conflict. This can be positioned within the larger context of the political economy of land struggle given the expanding population and the fierce competition for it. As a result, pasture, water, and land are in higher demand. Additionally, large-scale agricultural expansion initiatives exacerbated competition for scarce pasture and land by reducing the amount of land suitable for both pastoralism and sedentary lifestyles. Also, the effect of gold mining, corporate mining and other mining activities limits access to land use. This study makes use of qualitative data to explore the nature of this conflict. Research into earlier government interventions revealed poor desirable outcomes.