Theoretical Dimensions of Societal Ill-Values: Insurgency, Counter Insurgency and Sustainable Transformation Agenda (Published)
The task of this paper is to examine how negative social values, political and social-economic variables influence insurgency and counter-insurgency. The paper is anchored on Historical Materialism – “a class theory of terrorism” to explaining dimension of social values and stable society. It is a perspective entrenched in conflict paradigm which describes the inequalities that exist in all societies around the globe. Every society is plagued by inequality based on social differences (social, economic, political and coercive power) among the dominant group and all of the other groups in the society. This paper theoretically employs the perspective to explaining what constitutes stable society considering the multi-ethnic nature of Nigeria. This paper addresses the dynamics of upsurge of insurgency that has engulfed the country in recent time. The paper assert that understanding an insurgency’s motivations, breadth of activity and support, and core grievances is essential to successful stable society. The strongest recommendation of the paper is the need to assiduously reinvigorate our social values and functional social institutions with a view to charting new positive social values among Nigerians and transform to a stable society.
Keywords: : paradigms, insurgency and counter-insurgency, social values, stable society