REVISITING IDENTITY BASED POLITICS AND BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY IN NIGERIAUNDER GOODLUCK JONATHAN, 2010-2015

ABSTRACT: The administration of Goodluck Jonathan was seriously marred by the activities and increasingsecurity threats in the North Eastern part of the country, due largely to the activities of the BokoHaramfundamentalist. This seriously sought the establishment of an Islamic caliphate which saw the country at thebrink of collapse. The role played by the politics of identity on the part of Boko Hram cannot beoveremphasized as they really saw nothing in common with the rest of people in Nigeria, hence doingeverything within their power to promote, protect and foster their interest. The study was qualitative in nature asdata was gotten from the secondary sources, while the group theory was judiciously utilized as the analyticframework. The study revealed that, though Boko Haram insurgency could be traced back to 2002, identitypolitics in no small measure heightened it under Goodluck Jonathan administration by informing the creation ofan Islamic Caliphate as pursed by the sect. This is truism because, not long after declaring Goodluck Jonathanthe winner of 2011 presidential election than the insurgents began bombing and rioting in the bid to frustrate thegovernment. More so, the fact that the death of Musa YarAdua gave the power back to the South was anothercause for such crisis. The study recommends that, Nigerians must come to the realization that using violence toresolve whatever grievances they may have against the state and other persons or groups will only make usworse off as lives that are wasted cannot be recovered and properties destroyed will take a long time to rebuild.

Keywords: Identity Politics, Boko Haram, Insurgency, Violence, Nigeria