The Unfinished Peace

The Unfinished Peace: Deconstructing the Origins of Marginalisation in Nigeria’s South East is a reflective and hard-hitting exploration of how history, politics, and power have shaped a region that still lives in the shadow of unresolved conflicts. This piece interrogates the roots of exclusion, tracing how post-war policies, economic neglect, political distrust, and structural imbalances combined to produce a lingering sense of injustice in the South East. Rather than treating marginalisation as an accident or a mere consequence of time, the work argues that it is the result of deliberate choices, broken promises, and a peace that was never fully built—only declared. It examines how memory, identity, and statecraft collide, and how generations have inherited the cost of decisions made far beyond their control. With a critical yet constructive tone, the article challenges readers to rethink what “peace” truly means in a society where reconciliation was incomplete. It ultimately calls for honest dialogue, equitable development, and a reimagining of national belonging as the only path toward a just and lasting unity.