Book Description

"Brilliantly executed from start to finish. . . . Elegantly written, [this book] represents a substantial advance in our knowledge of the colonial administration (often called the 'colonial state') and economy after the Second World War. . . . Makes a significant contribution to scholarship in economic history in general, and on African development planning in particular. . . . The conclusion is brilliant, controversial, yet persuasive."--A. G. Adebayo, Kennesaw State College "There is no comparable book, not just with respect to Nigeria, but indeed the entire West African subregion. . . . It is a significant work, carefully constructed without ideological encumbrances. Provocative in many parts and fascinating to read, [it] is bound to have a lasting impact on the understanding of the colonial economy in the post-World War II era."--Don C. Ohadike, Cornell University By the time Nigeria attained independence from Great Britain in 1960, colonial development planning had profoundly shaped the way Nigerians thought about the role of the state and about the way to implement development policies. This major work links the colonial and postcolonial development processes, uncovering the historical roots of the contemporary crisis in Nigeria and its intractable problem of poverty. The book analyzes the origins of planning and the impact of development schemes on Nigeria from 1940 to 1960. Using the methods of economic history and based primarily on official documents from Britain, the United States, and three archives in Nigeria, it examines the conflict generated by the first colonial development plans and the details of the Ten Year Plan of 1946-55. The author distributes the responsibility--and the blame--for poor planning between the British colonial powers, who sought minimal goals, and the Nigerian elite, who had big aspirations. Told for the first time by a native African scholar, this story of development planning shows clearly where Nigeria went adrift in its transformation from a "traditional" society to a "modern" one, and calls into question theoretical and ideological foundations of development planning throughout Africa. Toyin Falola is professor of African history at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author or editor of 15 books, including Modern Nigeria; Pawnship in Africa: Debt Bondage in Historical Perspective; Nigeria and Britain; and The Religious Impact on the Nation State. He is the joint editor of the Journal of African Economic History and the associate editor of Environment and History.