The Absence of the State in Northern Nigeria: The Case of Boko Haram

Abstract

The religious/sectarian crisis in the northern part of the country, though has been blamed on religion, some experts as well as politicians believe that the insurgency may have been fuelled by the government's apathy to the welfare of the citizens. According to Karl Marx religion is the opium of the masses. And this philosophy is gaining currency all over the world and Nigeria especially with recent happenings in some northern states of the country where a group of religious fundamentalists, Boko Haram, led attacks against the government and its agencies. With regards to the recent event where the son of a wealthy Nigerian banker tried to blow up an American Airbus, it seems that the young boys joining radical movements are not, as is commonly believed, poor and choice less.