{{short description|none}} {{Use American English|date=March 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Anarchism sidebar|by region}}
'''Anarchism in Nigeria''' has its roots in the organization of various stateless societies that inhabited pre-colonial Nigeria, particularly among the [[Igbo people]]. After the British colonization of Nigeria, [[revolutionary syndicalism]] became a key factor in the anti-colonial resistance, although the trade union movement deradicalized and took a more reformist approach following the country's independence. The contemporary Nigerian anarchist movement finally emerged from the left-wing opposition to the [[Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–99|military dictatorship]] in the late 1980s and saw the creation of the Awareness League.
==History== [[File:Things_Fall_Apart_books_02.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Things Fall Apart]]'' by [[Chinua Achebe]] depicts pre-colonial Igbo society and how it changed with the arrival of British colonial rule.]] With the exception of the north, which was largely dominated by the [[Sokoto Caliphate]], many of the peoples in [[History of Nigeria (1500–1800)|pre-colonial Nigeria]] lived in [[stateless societies]]. According to the Nigerian anarchist [[Sam Mbah]], these stateless people groups included the [[Igbo people|Igbo]], [[Berom people|Birom]], [[Angas people|Angas]], [[Idoma people|Idoma]], [[Ekoi people|Ekoi]], [[Ibibio people|Ibibio]], [[Ijaw people|Ijaw]], [[Urhobo people|Urhobo]] and [[Tiv people|Tiv]].{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|p=35}} Particular attention was given to the Igbo,{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|pp=35–36}} whose political organization was based on a quasi-democratic [[Republicanism|republican]] system of government. In tight knit communities, this system guaranteed its citizens equality, as opposed to a feudalist system with a king ruling over subjects.<ref name=society>{{cite book |title=Power, Marginality and African Oral Literature |first=Graham |last=Furniss |author2=Elizabeth Gunner |author3=Liz Gunner |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-521-48061-1 |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1p3nlW3TM-kC&pg=PA65}}</ref> With the exception of a few notable Igbo towns such as [[Onitsha]], which had kings called [[Obi (title)|Obi]], and places like the [[Nri Kingdom]] and [[Arochukwu]], which had [[priest]] kings; Igbo communities and area governments were overwhelmingly ruled solely by a republican consultative assembly of the common people.<ref name=society /> Communities were usually governed and administered by a council of [[elder (administrative title)|elders]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Nigeria's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook |first=April A. |last=Gordon |edition=illustrated, annotated |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-57607-682-8 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H26pO3vwmHoC&pg=PA37}}</ref> Due to the incompatibility of the Igbo decentralized style of government and the centralized system including the appointment of [[Eze|warrant chiefs]] required for indirect rule,<ref>{{cite book|title=Power, Marginality and African Oral Literature |first=Graham |last=Furniss |author2=Elizabeth Gunner |author3=Liz Gunner |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-521-48061-1 |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G8ZDWbwIwdQC&pg=PA67}}</ref> [[Southern Nigeria Protectorate|British colonial rule]] was marked with open conflicts and much tension.<ref name=africanhistory>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of African History |first=Kevin |last=Shillington |publisher=CRC Press |year=2005 |page=674 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ftz_gtO-pngC&pg=PA674 |isbn=978-1-57958-245-6}}</ref> Under British colonial rule, the diversity within each of Nigeria's major ethnic groups slowly decreased and distinctions between the Igbo and other large ethnic groups, such as the [[Hausa people|Hausa]] and the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]], became sharper.<ref>{{cite book |year=1992 |title=Groundwork of Igbo history |author-link=Adiele Afigbo |last=Afigbo |first=A. E. |publisher=Vista Books |location=Lagos |isbn=978-978-134-400-8 | pages = 522–541}}</ref>
===The early Nigerian labor movement=== [[File:Dr._Nnamdi_Azikiwe.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nnamdi Azikiwe]], an early anti-colonial leader and inspiration for the Nigerian workers' movement.]] The Nigerian labor movement began to constitute itself almost immediately after the introduction of British capitalism to the region. During the early 1900s, agitation increased in response to the imposition of employment contracts, which obliged work without any provisions for workers' rights.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ananaba|first=Wogu|title=The Trade Union Movement in Nigeria|location=[[London]]|publisher=[[C. Hurst & Co.]]|year=1969|page=11|isbn=9780841900394|oclc=923243778}}</ref> Nigerian workers became conscious of the racial disparities opening up in [[Colonial Nigeria]], with European workers earning more than Africans for the same work.<ref>{{cite book|last=Coleman|first=James Smoot|title=Nigeria: Background to Nationalism|location=[[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=1971|page=258|isbn=9780520020702|oclc=186831169}}</ref> Conditions worsened during the [[Great Depression]], as the colonial government imposed direct taxation on Nigerian workers and converted [[permanent employment]] into [[day labor]].<ref name="Osoba198">{{cite book|first1=Isaac Adeagbo|last1=Akinjogbin|last2=Osoba|first2=Segun O.|chapter=Trade Unions in Colonial and Post-Colonial Nigeria|title=Topics on Nigerian Economic and Social History|location=[[Ifẹ]]|publisher=[[Obafemi Awolowo University|UNIFE Press]]|year=1980|page=198|isbn=9789781360190|oclc=462715003}}</ref> The rumours that the Igbo women were being assessed for taxation sparked off the [[Women's War]] in [[Aba, Nigeria|Aba]], a massive revolt organized and executed by women.<ref>{{cite book |title=Female Power and Male Dominance: On the Origins of Sexual Inequality |first=Peggy Reeves |last=Sanday |author-link=Peggy Reeves Sanday|edition=illustrated, reprint |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=[[Cambridge]] |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-521-28075-4 |page=136 |url=https://archive.org/details/femalepowermaled00sand/page/136|url-access=registration |oclc=1158882885}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pauline|first=Denise|title=Women of Tropical Africa|location=[[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=1963|oclc=265134}}</ref> Inspired by the anti-colonial writings of [[Nnamdi Azikiwe]], Nigerian workers became more radicalized throughout the 1930s, aiming to bring an end to British colonial rule through [[class conflict]].<ref name="Osoba198"/>
The rise of [[syndicalism]] was spearheaded by [[Michael Imoudu]], who led the Railway Workers' Union in initiating the country's first ever strike actions, culminating in the [[1945 Nigerian general strike]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Oyemakinde|first=Wale|title=The Nigerian General Strike of 1945|date=1975|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41971222|journal=Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria|volume=7|issue=4|pages=693–710|jstor=41971222|issn=0018-2540}}</ref> Subsequent strikes only strengthened the workers' movement, which saw the rise of [[class consciousness]] and the emergence of [[anti-capitalist]] and [[anti-state]] ideas, as well as the use of more militant tactics such as [[sabotage]].<ref name="Osoba201">{{cite book|first1=Isaac Adeagbo|last1=Akinjogbin|last2=Osoba|first2=Segun O.|chapter=Trade Unions in Colonial and Post-Colonial Nigeria|title=Topics on Nigerian Economic and Social History|location=[[Ifẹ]]|publisher=[[Obafemi Awolowo University|UNIFE Press]]|year=1980|page=201|isbn=9789781360190|oclc=462715003}}</ref> Trade unions began to serve as a strong counterweight to the trade [[monopoly|monopolies]] held by [[multinational corporation]]s such as [[Unilever]] and even went on to advocate for the [[Social ownership|socialization]] of Nigeria's economy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cohen|first=R.|title=Labour and Politics in Nigeria, 1945-71|location=[[London]]|publisher=[[Heinemann (publisher)|Heinemann]]|year=1974|page=12|isbn=9780435831202|oclc=462195042}}</ref> Trade union leaders eventually began to establish formal alliances with nationalist political parties, with the [[National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons]] even being described by [[Michael Crowder]] as a "confederation of trade unions".<ref>{{cite book|last=Crowder|first=Michael|title=The Story of Nigeria|location=[[London]]|publisher=[[Faber and Faber]]|year=1962|page=223|oclc=930445576}}</ref> Despite the labor movement having contributed in large part to the independence of Nigeria, the capitalist system remained in place after independence. With the achievement of the country's independence, the Nigerian labor movement largely lost its [[revolutionary syndicalist]] tendencies, with many trade unions taking on [[reformist]] and [[class collaborationist]] lines.{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|pp=58–59}}
===Independence and military rule===
[[File:Biafra_in_its_region.svg|thumb|left|The [[Republic of Biafra]], a breakaway region in the southeast and the subject of the [[Nigerian Civil War]].]] In 1960, the [[Federation of Nigeria]] became [[Independence Day (Nigeria)|independent]] from the [[British Empire]], later evolving into the [[First Nigerian Republic]] under the parliamentary government of [[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]]. During this period, left-leaning factions within [[Western State (Nigeria)|Western]] and [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern]] regional governments established a program of farm settlements, based on the [[Kibbutz]] system, with the intention of recreating the pre-colonial communal way of life. These self-managing settlements were made up of farmers and their families living on collectives, where the [[means of production]] were held in common and the produce yielded was distributed equally among the inhabitants, while agricultural surplus was exchanged by cooperatives.{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|pp=47–48}} However, the egalitarian principles of the program were eventually eroded away, after the First Republic was overthrown in a ''[[1966 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état]]'', which instituted the first [[Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–99|Nigerian military junta]] under the [[Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966–1979)|Supreme Military Council]], led by [[Yakubu Gowon]].<ref name= tide>{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200807290251.html |title=The Forgotten Interim President |work=Daily Trust |author=Abubakar Ibrahim |date=29 July 2008 |access-date=2010-02-28}}</ref> The coup was followed by a [[1966 Nigerian counter-coup|counter-coup]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Siollun|first1=Max|title=Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976)|year=2009|publisher=Algora|isbn=9780875867090|page=110}}</ref> and an [[1966 anti-Igbo pogrom|anti-Igbo pogrom]],<ref name=Last-2005>{{cite journal|last1=Last|first1=Murray|title=Poison and Medicine: Ethnicity, Power and Violence in a Nigerian City, 1966–1986 by Douglas A. Anthony Review by: Murray Last|journal=The Royal African Society|date=October 2005|volume=104|issue=417|pages=710–711|jstor=3518821}}</ref> during which thousands of [[Igbo people]] were estimated to have been killed, with a further 1 million Igbos fleeing from the [[Northern Region, Nigeria|Northern Region]] to the [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern Region]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/23.htm |title=Civil War |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1991 |website=countrystudies.us |publisher=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress |access-date= November 21, 2019}}</ref>
After the military junta reneged on the [[Aburi Accord]], which had promised to decentralize power in Nigeria, the Igbo military leader [[C. Odumegwu Ojukwu|Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu]] unilaterally declared the independence of [[Biafra]]. Due to Ojukwu carrying out the instructions of a Consultative Assembly and the voluntary construction of the [[Biafran Armed Forces]], [[Stephen P. Halbrook]] compared him to the Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary [[Nestor Makhno]],<ref name="Halbrook">{{cite journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307190333/http://www.anarco-nyc.net/anarchistpanther/otherwriting4.html|url=http://www.anarco-nyc.net/anarchistpanther/otherwriting4.html|archive-date=7 March 2005|title=Anarchism and Revolution in Black Africa|journal=The Journal of Contemporary Revolutions|volume=IV|issue=1|year=1972|first=Stephen P.|last=Halbrook|author-link=Stephen P. Halbrook}}</ref> although this libertarian characterization is disputed.<ref name="Tribalism26">{{cite journal|url=https://zabalaza.net/2008/09/09/zabalaza-9-september-2008/|title=Nostalgic Tribalism or Revolutionary Transformation?|first=Michael|last=Schmidt|date=9 September 2008|journal=Zabalaza|issue=9|page=26|publisher=[[Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front]]}}</ref> Eventually, the "[[Nigerian Civil War|Biafran Revolution]]" was defeated militarily and Biafra was reincorporated into Nigeria, under centralized military rule.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ATOFARATI|first1=ABUBAKAR .A.|title=The Nigerian Civil War: Causes, Strategies, And Lessons Learnt|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1992/AAA.htm|website=Global Security|access-date=16 November 2016}}</ref>
After the [[1979 Nigerian presidential election|election]] of [[Shehu Shagari]] as [[President of Nigeria]], the Supreme Military Council handed power over to a new civilian government, ending over a decade of military rule and establishing the [[Second Nigerian Republic]]. However, the new government was beset by [[political corruption]],{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|p=86}} and introduced the first austerity measures of the country's history in 1981.{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|p=88}} This republic was short-lived, and was overthrown by another [[Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1983–1985)|Supreme Military Council]] in the [[1983 Nigerian coup d'état]], led by [[Muhammadu Buhari]]. This second military junta was also short-lived, as it was itself overthrown by the [[Armed Forces Ruling Council (Nigeria)|Armed Forces Ruling Council]] in the [[1985 Nigerian coup d'état]], led by [[Ibrahim Babangida]], who resumed the implementation of austerity policies under a [[structural adjustment program]] by the [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]].{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|p=88}}
===The contemporary Nigerian anarchist movement===
During this period of [[Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–99#Third Junta (1985–1993)|military rule]], the left-wing opposition to the military junta began to engage in a debate on the future of Nigeria. Workers of the [[Nigeria Labour Congress]] (NLC) published a manifesto, which proposed socialism as a viable option for the future of economic and political life in Nigeria, calling for [[workers' control]] of the [[means of production]].<ref>{{cite journal|first=Ahmed|last=Azad|title=Africa: Notes and Comments|journal=The African Communist|issue=109|year=1987|pages=76–77|publisher=[[South African Communist Party]]|issn=1560-7887|oclc=44229291|location=[[London]]|url=https://disa.ukzn.ac.za/Acn10987}}</ref> Anarchism also emerged from these debates, with a leftist coalition called The Axe being established at the [[University of Ibadan]] in 1983. The Axe developed anarchist tendencies and published a number of periodicals, but the group was eventually dissolved during the crisis experienced by the Nigerian left during the late 1980s.{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|pp=52, 68}} Meanwhile, the Awareness League (AL) was established as a study group at the [[University of Nigeria]], bringing together a broad coalition of [[Marxists]], [[Trotskyists]], human rights activists and leftists. During their studies, the AL took particular interest in ''A Look at Leninism'' by Ron Tabor, a repudiation of [[Marxism-Leninism]] and [[state socialism]]. With the advent of the [[Revolutions of 1989]], many Nigerian left-wing activists began to re-examine their commitments to Marxism, leading the Awareness League to officially embrace anarchist politics in 1990.{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|pp=68–69}}<ref name="Tribalism29">{{cite journal|url=https://zabalaza.net/2008/09/09/zabalaza-9-september-2008/|title=Nostalgic Tribalism or Revolutionary Transformation?|first=Michael|last=Schmidt|date=9 September 2008|journal=Zabalaza|issue=9|page=29|publisher=[[Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front]]}}</ref> The AL thus grew from a small study group into a large-scale anarchist organization, with around 1000 members distributed in every single southern [[States of Nigeria|state]], as well as in three northern states, and eventually being admitted as the Nigerian section of the [[IWA-AIT]].{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|p=70}}
During the [[1993 Nigerian presidential election]], the Awareness League were among the progressive groups that supported the [[Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)|social democratic]] candidate [[Moshood Abiola]], believing that "the installation of a left-of-center government was a minimum condition for the propagation and pursuit of anarcho-syndicalist struggle and ideals."<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://struggle.ws/africa/nigeria/aware_interview94.html|title=An Interview With Nigeria's Awareness League|year=1997|journal=Ideas and Action|issue=17|publisher=[[Workers' Solidarity Alliance]]|editor1=Neither East Nor West-NYC|editor2=Love and Rage|author=Awareness League}}</ref> Despite Abiola's victory over the pro-military candidate [[Bashir Tofa]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lewis|first1=Peter M.|date=July 1994|title=Endgame in Nigeria? The Politics of a Failed Democratic Transition|journal=African Affairs|volume=93|issue=372|pages=323–340|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a098722|jstor=723365}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=News from Africa Watch|date=27 August 1993|title=Nigeria, Democracy Derailed: Hundreds Arrested and Press Muzzled in Aftermath of Election Annulment|journal=Human Rights Watch|volume=5|issue=11|pages=1–21}}</ref> the results were annulled by Ibrahim Babangida,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Welch|first1=Claude E.|date=1 July 1995|title=Civil-Military Agonies in Nigeria: Pains of an Unaccomplished Transition|journal=Armed Forces & Society|volume=21|issue=4|pages=593–614|doi=10.1177/0095327X9502100405|s2cid=146316411}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ogbeidi|first1=Michael M.|date=2010|title=A Culture of Failed Elections: Revisiting Democratic Elections in Nigeria, 1959-2003|journal=Historia Actual Online|volume=21|pages=43–56}}</ref> causing widespread protests and political unrest that ultimately led to the resignation of Babangida, with an [[Cabinet of Ernest Shonekan|interim government]] being established in his place. The nascent [[Third Nigerian Republic]] was itself overthrown by [[Sani Abacha]] in a ''[[1993 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état]]'', restoring [[Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–99#Fourth Junta (1993–1999)|military rule]] over Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Campbell|first1=Ian|date=1994|title=Nigeria's Failed Transition: The 1993 Presidential Election|journal=Journal of Contemporary African Studies|volume=12|issue=2|pages=179–199|doi=10.1080/02589009408729556}}</ref> The Awareness League reaffirmed its rejection of military rule and resumed its collaboration with other leftist organizations in order to resist the new government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://struggle.ws/africa/wsfws/1_1nigeria.html|title=Nigerian Anarchists Resist the Dictatorship|series=UNREST|year=1993|publisher=[[Workers Solidarity Movement]]}}</ref>
[[File:African_Anarchism_signed_by_Sam_Mbah.jpg|thumb|right|A copy of ''African Anarchism'' inscribed by [[Sam Mbah]]: "With Compliments from the Co Author"]] The struggle against the dictatorship reached an apex in 1994, when petroleum workers called a strike demanding the end of the military dictatorship. The Awareness League and other trade unions joined the strike, bringing economic life around Lagos and the southwest to a standstill. After calling off a threatened strike in July, the NLC reconsidered a [[general strike]] in August after the government imposed conditions on Abiola's release. On 17 August 1994, the government dismissed the leadership of the NLC and the petroleum unions, placed the unions under appointed administrators, and arrested Frank Kokori and other labor leaders. According to Sam Mbah, "never since the civil war of the 1960s had the Nigerian state come so close to disintegrating."{{sfn|Mbah|Igariwey|1997|p=61}}
With the death of Sani Abacha in 1998, his successor initiated a [[1999 Nigerian presidential election|transition]] back to democratic rule, establishing the [[Fourth Nigerian Republic]]. In the wake of democratization, many community groups and leftists organizations were now left without the common enemy of military rule, leading some - including the Awareness League - to begin fragmenting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/march-2012-interview-with-sam-mbah|title=Interview with Sam Mbah: Towards an Anarchist Spring in Nigeria|author1=Jeremy|first2=Sam|last2=Mbah|authorlink2=Sam Mbah|publisher=Jura Books Collective|location=[[Sydney]]|date=March 2012|access-date=15 October 2015}}</ref> During this period, Sam Mbah and [[Iduma Igariwey Enwo|I.E. Igariwey]] published their book ''African Anarchism'', which compiles a history of the anarchist movement in Africa and draws from the anarchic traditional practices of many of Nigeria' indigenous peoples.
During the [[End SARS]] protests of 2020, which called for the abolition of the [[Special Anti-Robbery Squad]], protestors set fire to police stations, government buildings and banks, while also releasing prisoners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amwenglish.com/articles/police-stations-burned-in-endsars-uprising-in-nigeria/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011645/https://www.amwenglish.com/articles/police-stations-burned-in-endsars-uprising-in-nigeria/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 1, 2020|title=Prison Breaks and Torched Police Stations in #EndSARS Uprising in Nigeria|date=23 October 2020|work=Abolition Media Worldwide|access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref> President [[Muhammadu Buhari]] reacted to the movement by warning young Nigerians of anarchists that were allegedly attempting to hijack the protests<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://dailypost.ng/2020/10/19/end-sars-beware-of-anarchists-who-may-hijack-protest-buhari-tells-protesters/|location=Lagos, Nigeria|title=End SARS: Beware of anarchists who may hijack protest – Buhari tells protesters|date=19 October 2020|first=Nsikak|last=Nseyen|access-date=12 April 2021|newspaper=[[Daily Post (Nigeria)|Daily Post]]}}</ref> and stated that the federal government "would not tolerate anarchy in the country".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.legit.ng/1375709-fg-sends-warning-message-endsars-protesters-anarchy-wont-allowed-nigeria.html|title=EndSARS protests have been hijacked to destabilise Buhari's govt, says Lai Mohammed|date=19 October 2020|first=Wale|last=Akinola|access-date=12 April 2021|newspaper=[[Legit.ng]]}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[:Category:Nigerian anarchists]] * [[List of anarchist movements by region]] * [[Anarchism in Africa]]
== References == {{reflist}}
== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|title=African Anarchism: The History of a Movement|first1=Sam|last1=Mbah|authorlink1=Sam Mbah|first2=I.E.|last2=Igariwey|publisher=[[See Sharp Press]]|location=[[Tucson, Arizona]]|year=1997|isbn=9781884365058|oclc=614189872}}
{{Refend}}
== External links == * [https://theanarchistlibrary.org/category/topic/nigeria Nigeria section] - The Anarchist Library * [https://libcom.org/tags/nigeria Nigeria section] - Libcom.org
{{Anarchism by region}} {{Africa topic|Anarchism in}} {{Portal bar|Anarchism|Nigeria}}
[[Category:Anarchism in Nigeria| ]] [[Category:Anarchism by country|Nigeria, Anarchism in]] [[Category:Political movements in Nigeria]]