Regionalism and Ethnicity in the Nigerian Press: An Analysis of the Coverage of Boko Haram and the Niger Delta Conflicts in the Guardian And Daily Trust

Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u Since the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1914, there has always been a struggle for self-assertion between various regions and ethnic groups. Nigeria had to undergo a bloody civil war in 1967–70 before the country was kept together. Different ethnic militias, like the Odua People’s Congress (OPC) , Arewa People’s Congress (APC) , Movement for the Survival of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) (Badmus 2006) and Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have emerged, each claiming to protect the interest of its people. These ethnic militia organisations have an elite wing, like the Afenifere, who claim to represent the interest of the Yoruba, Ohaneze Ndigbo which claims to protect the interest of the Igbo, the Arewa Consultative Forum which claims to represent the interest of the North, and the Middle-belt Forum, claiming that it champions the interests of the middle-belt, especially the...