Afemai people are peaceful are loving people, The Word Afemai” refers to one of the sub-group which constitute the ethnic group called Edo. The word means “our home” or “our people”1
Although conflict is a Universal phenomenon and not a preserve of one region, group religion or race, researchers are not in agreement on the meaning of the concept of conflict both the causes of conflict are numerous. Its conception contains some variable that distinguish it from other concepts such as instability, violence and crisis.2
There is conflict where there is a sharp disagreement or clash, for instance, between divergent ideas, interest of people and nations he asserted further that conflicts are Universal yet distinct in every culture it is common to all persons yet experienced uniquely by every individual. It is a variable sign of human energy and often the result of competition.3 Conflict as explained above is considered to be a product of disagreement that may be rooted in belief system and perception of the people’s goal attainment. Conflict can also be involved in deep noted morals or value differences high-state distribution question such as who dominates whom fundamental human psychological needs of identity, security and recognition are issues as well.4
Recent studies on the genesis and contemporary forms of ethnic conflicts in Nigeria show how modern form of identity construction, ethnicity and ethnic conflict were fascinated by colonialism, colonial policy of residential and identity boundaries, construction of umbrella identity, social formations, authoritarian military regimes in Nigeria especially in Northern part of Nigeria.5 The pre-colonial Afemai land had conflicts as a social phenomenon derive from a clash of goals, both personal are groups, which were later peacefully resolved.
The fact is that conflicts among the Edo speaking people had been a struggle over value and claims to scares statues, power and resources in which the aim of the proponents to neutralize, injure or eliminates rivals6.
The resolution of a conflict between peoples group and states it goes beyond peace keeping to actually deals with the issues that cause a conflict. In pre-colonial Afemai peacemaking of resolutions were blended and tied together in various communities. Both aimed towards recirculation and normalization of relations between ordinary people and those in authority.
Conflict resolution to an average Afemai person is a process which recognizes that certain concrete effort and processes are required to be made by individual groups and communities for conflict to be reduced to a minimum level.
Justification of Research
In more recent times researchers have shown great interest in conflicts are their resolutions in Africa and Nigeria ethnic societies.
The pre-colonial period of this area that became Afemai was the period that had a limited conflictual situation than what is obtained during the colonial and post-colonial periods were aggravated conflicts, e.g. cold war, Nuclear warfare, slave trade, the use of automatic weaponry fire arms and ammunition. It has been shown that Economic and commercial factors as well as deliberate politics of the pre-colonial states and their ideological and administrative forces all combined to create an enabling environment that became conducive for integration and assimilation of the different ethnic groups that existed within the polity. Pre-colonial Nigeria experience massive migration population, this massive movement of population had to do with many factors that included the quest “to avoid epidemic or other natural scourges to flee from war or to wage war on neighours, to seek royalty far away after abortive attempts to accede to the throne and to abandon sterile land and search for more fertile ones.”7
Even when these massive movement initially involved war such groups in contact were able to later settle down and integrated and even assimilate. This integration and assimilation took place between the Hausa and Fulani and Yoruba in Ilorin and indigenous families of Hausa and Nupe origin.8
Furthermore even were you had a situation of conquest by others sometimes the conquering group sub-ordinated the conquered people to their authority and integrated them into the group.
How do we explain this relatively peaceful character of the inter-ethnic relations in the pre-colonial set up? Obviously the nurture and character of the pre-capitalist economic system had a deep influence on the nature of social structure of the Nigerian groups that made for more harmony and integration. This harmony and integration had to do with the limited commodity production which exchange through inter personal relationships that promoted a sense of community ties and integration however with the incorporation of Nigeria into the British capitalist system under the guise of colonialism there came divisive competition for markets and new forms of kingship ties that became more conflicts prone. This was the reason that ushered in more individualism. Competition and quest for equality in the commodity production ensued to be able to survive under the new mode of production that generated so much insecurity, people had to become members of solidarity groups based on language and culture this explains why the coming of colonialism in Nigeria inevitably charge the hitherto existing social relations to new ones that promoted the circumstance for more Conflictual relationship among individual and group and hence the growth of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts in Nigeria under the new dispensation.
The history of most contemporary ethnic groups in Nigeria does not go beyond the colonial period Even the pattern of urbanization during colonial rule in Nigeria further eroded the integrative assimilation and orientation that were typical of the pre-colonial era in Nigeria. The so called “stranger” has designated areas to live in urban area so as to distinguish them from the indigenous people. This is what brought about the name “Sabongari” phenomenon in urban areas of Nigeria today of course such a promotion of ethnic consciousness and differences led to the proliferation of ethnic Association to cater for the uncertainties and in security created by colonialism.9
Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of this study are;
- To identify the effects of conflicts on the Afemai people during the pre-colonial times.
- To examine the various types of conflicts that existed then.
- To understand the resolutions effect on the Afemai people.
- To identify the causes of conflicts among the Afemai people