Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Boundary Adjustment Policies occupies an important place in the historiography of South-Eastern Nigeria, shaping the region's political and social trajectory in ways still felt today.

The years 1999-2015 represent a formative period for understanding boundary adjustment policies in South-Eastern Nigeria, one that continues to inform present-day scholarship.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite considerable historical scholarship, the precise role of boundary adjustment policies in South-Eastern Nigeria during 1999-2015 remains a subject of ongoing debate, with existing accounts often relying on incomplete or contested source material. This study re-examines the available historical record to offer a clearer account.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To trace the role of boundary adjustment policies in South-Eastern Nigeria during 1999-2015.
2. To examine the factors that shaped boundary adjustment policies during this period.
3. To assess the consequences of boundary adjustment policies for South-Eastern Nigeria.
4. To situate these findings within the broader historiography of the period.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What role did boundary adjustment policies play in South-Eastern Nigeria during 1999-2015?
2. What factors shaped boundary adjustment policies during this period?
3. What were the consequences of boundary adjustment policies for South-Eastern Nigeria?
4. How do these findings relate to the broader historiography of the period?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to historians and students of history and international studies, contributing a focused account of boundary adjustment policies in South-Eastern Nigeria to the existing historiography, and offering a reference point for future comparative or regional studies.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited chronologically to 1999-2015 and geographically to South-Eastern Nigeria, reflecting a BSc-level scope; developments outside this period and region fall outside its remit.