Group behaviour

Group behaviour shows quiet clearly in the actions and activities of the groups which we talked about earlier on. These are primary and secondary social groups.

Generally speaking, group behaviour can be categorized into two. We can easily see this in mass action and in community services.

Mass Action: mass action is an essential part of the way the secondary social group behaves. Mass action takes place when people come together in large numbers to show or register their displeasure against or their support for any issue or any policy of authorities e.g. community, local government, state or federal authorities. People readily join secondary group activities to protest what they think is for public good.

            The first of such organized mass action before Nigeria’s independence was the Aba women riot in 1929. Then the women at Aba (now Abia state) protested poll tax imposed on them as women. The protest was against the colonial administration as we had not gained independence then.

            The secondary mass action was immediately after Nigeria secured independence in1960. The very first session of the newly inaugurated Nigerian house of Representative and Senate of newly independent Nigeria passed into law an Anglo-Nigeria Defence Pact which provided military bases for the departing colonial power in Kano.

Late chief Obafemi Awolowo, then premier of the West Region, was the first to raise an objection to the pact. Soon after, Nigerian students rose in mass rallies against the pact which they saw as a loss of their national sovereignty and an indirect way of making Britain to continue to rule. In 1961, the Anglo-Nigerian defence pact was abrogated.

            Since then, people have organised mass rallies in different parts of the country to protest hike in petroleum prices, poor conditions of service of workers, teachers, health workers, petrol tanker drivers etc.

Other mass actions include;

A)     Political mass action: As democracy develops, people also have the opportunity to organise mass rallies to protest or support choice of candidates they do not want or desire for their communities for elective offices. People carry placards or even dangerous weapons to make the authorities know their minds.

Also, parties or people now protest results of elections which they consider unfair or rigged.

B)     Religious mass action: Usually, believers go out to popularise beliefs and faith. But at times, there are religious mass actions when people feel that some groups ridicule or undermine their religious beliefs. Such actions are sometimes violent. These are often mixed with other conditions in the society.