Civil Society in the shadows of Nigeria’s Core Conflicts The Role of Civil Society in Nigeria’s Core Conflicts: Boko Haram Insurgency Dr Joseph OCHOGWU Introduction Civil society has gained prominence in development and security discourse and practice over the past three decades. Firstly, in relations to the pressures of democratization that swept through nations in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and across Africa. Secondly, as a result of the several intra-state violent conflicts that occasioned the collapse of the Cold War. In Nigeria, the civil society held on to the struggle for civil rights and democratization despite widespread state repression by military dictators, and later facilitated the transition to civil rule in 1999. The process of democratization changed the political and institutional environment in which civil society organizations in Nigeria operate. Democratization reawakened the civil society in Nigeria and placed it at the centre of active opposition to military dictatorship. As a result, Civil society became the platform for nurturing civic norms and values of democratic engagement in Nigeria. In normative terms, civil society is widely seen as increasingly crucial for limiting authoritarian government, strengthening popular empowerment, enforcing political accountability, and improving quality and inclusiveness of governance(Manor, Robinson and White, 1999). Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Nigeria| 136