Social injustice and public perception of Biafra social movements in the South East Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined social injustice and public perception of Biafra social movements in the south east Nigeria. A cross-section of 1191 participants, comprising 717 (60.2%) males and 474 (39.8%) females, was purposively recruited among members of the public in three southeastern States. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to analyse the quantitative data. The results revealed that 89.3% of the variance in Biafra movements resulted from social injustices caused by the State and its institutions and actors (β = 0.95, t = 56.46, p ≤ 0.05). Both theoretical and empirical evidence further indicated that marginalised, excluded and dispossessed ethnic group may have no option but to agitate for their rights and emancipation which may culminate in secession attempts in the long run. The conclusion was that separation from the system that is believed to have persistently nurtured social injustices would be alternatively sought if protests for justice restoration in unfair central political arrangements cannot be effectively addressed, suggesting that secession was not the underlying objective and ideology of the advocates. Seeing that Nigeria’s social structure, combined with political economy, is unjust, maleficent and unbalanced, the policy implications call for inclusive institutional restructuring to reflect equity, justice and fairness in the distribution of power, authority and other vital assets in the national polity.

Keywords

• Biafra social movements
• political economy
• public perception
• social injustice
• social structure
• George Mudimu, Development Sciences, Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Marondera, Zimbabwe