A Technical Director at Lux Terra Leadership Centre, Majeed Dahiru has discussed the roots of insurgency in Northern Nigeria, attributing it primarily to the rise of political Islam in the region. He noted that the emergence of the Salafism movement in the early 1970s marked a significant shift away from the secular traditions that previously characterized Northern Nigeria.
He reflected on the era of Sir Ahmadu Bello, who successfully unified various religious and ethnic groups into a cohesive Northern identity under the inclusive banner of Arewa. He argued that this identity embraced both Muslims and Christians, as well as those who did not identify with either faith. However, he indicated that the subsequent shift towards Islamic revivalism has disrupted this balance, leading to increased sectarian divisions and contributing to the conditions that foster insurgency.
He said in an interview with Channels TV from 4:13, ‘What is constituting the grounds for insurgency in the North is political Islam in Northern Nigeria. When the Salafism movement began in the early 70s, Northern Nigeria lost that secularity. And that was the old northern region when Sir Ahmadu Bello was able to weave a mosaic of religious and ethnic groupings into a comprehensive Northern identity under the banner of Arewa that was as Christian as it was Muslim, or neither Christian nor Muslim, but that was all inclusive. But we began to see a shift towards Islamic revivalism.”