Nigeria at 100: What Next?


Book Description

Nigeria at 100 is an attempt to document in modest and constructive language Nigeria's journey as a modern nation in the past 100 years, highlighting the landmark events during this period. the book is divided into four parts with a total of 22 chapters. The first part, with seven chapters deals with the historical background starting with the early history and covering the pre-colonial years, independence and the challenges of nationhood, military intervention in politics and governance, the civil war, the return to democracy and the continuing challenges of development. Part 2, which examines the major impediments to nation building, has a total of five chapters covering such important subjects as the leadership problem, the negative problem of ethnicity, the perennial and the disturbing problem of corruption. Part 3 makes a case for healing our national wounds through national reconciliation, transformation and patriotism. This part of the book also makes a case for a united, viable and stable Nigerian nation. Part 4 attempts to answer the question as to which direction Nigeria should be heading as a nation after the centenary celebrations. Since the emphasis in our general theme is change to a better society by way of transformation and reformation, especially in the critical areas identified in this book, this section starts with the role of the family as the unit that lays the foundation and sets the values that influence the character, judgement and behaviour of our young people who will subsequently become important citizens and members of the leadership elite.




Federal Republic of Nigeria


Book Description

In the National Assembly Federal Republic of Nigeria: “What You Should Know and Why?” Kemdi Chino Opara explains not only the Nigerian system of government and its iterations of constitutions throughout the years, but also the current political climate in the country. He lambasts members of the National Assembly for tarnishing the values initially set forth for a prosperous government which exists to aid the people. Among his chief concerns are bribery and corruption within the government and the tendency of politicians to fatten their wallets and egos while the people of Nigeria suffer. Opara’s chief hope is that education about and open discussion of the current problems inherent in the political system will bring about change.







Modern Nigerian Constitutional Law


Book Description

Modern Nigerian Constitutional Law: Practices, Principles and Precedents has fifteen chapters covers not only the traditional core topics in constitutional law, but also the generally neglected ones. In chapter one, the author examines some basic issues in Nigerian constitutional law, and in chapter two the supremacy of the Constitution is examined. Also examined in this book are federalism, local government, fundamental rights, the fundamental rights enforcement procedure, the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, elections, INEC, and political parties. Although primarily intended as a textbook for students, the practitioner and the judge will find it refreshingly rewarding.







From Cultural Justice to Inter-Ethnic Mediation


Book Description

Inspired by ethno-religious conflicts which occur in a frequent, incessant and violent manner in the contemporary Nigerian society, Basil Ugorji examines the very real struggle for cultural justice that often leads to tribal violence and clashes, ethnic and religious wars, and genocides. The author thoroughly investigates the relevance of certain measures, judicial and coercive, used to manage ethno-religious conflicts in Africa. Based on the historical and political contexts (pre-colonialism, colonialism, post-independence), the author explores the premise that a shift is required in the research of peaceful resolution: first, from retributive justice to restorative justice, and second, from coercive methods of reconciliation to ethno-religious mediation, with a focus on the ethnic, tribal and religious groups involved in conflicts; the origins, causes, consequences, and actors involved; and the forms and places of occurrence of ethno-religious conflicts. With scholarship and compassion, the author sees the people within the conflict and exposes their humanity. Beyond the posturing and politics, he returns sanity to the discussion by revealing the often counterintuitive behavior of social systems under stress. More than just empirical observation, From Cultural Justice to Inter-Ethnic Mediation: A Reflection on the Possibility of Ethno-Religious Mediation in Africa provides welcome insights into convoluted dynamics and offers practical strategies through peace education. There is something here for everybody seeking a way forward out of chaos in Africa, from grassroots advocates to senior policymakers.




Global Environmental Constitutionalism


Book Description

Reflecting a global trend, scores of countries have affirmed that their citizens are entitled to healthy air, water, and land and that their constitution should guarantee certain environmental rights. This book examines the increasing recognition that the environment is a proper subject for protection in constitutional texts and for vindication by constitutional courts. This phenomenon, which the authors call environmental constitutionalism, represents the confluence of constitutional law, international law, human rights, and environmental law. National apex and constitutional courts are exhibiting a growing interest in environmental rights, and as courts become more aware of what their peers are doing, this momentum is likely to increase. This book explains why such provisions came into being, how they are expressed, and the extent to which they have been, and might be, enforced judicially. It is a singular resource for evaluating the content of and hope for constitutional environmental rights.




The Sources of Labour Law


Book Description

Labour law has traditionally aimed to protect the employee under a hierarchy built on constitutional provisions, statutory law, collective agreements at various levels, and the employment contract, in that order. However, in employment regulation in recent years, ‘flexibility’ has come to dominate the world of work – a set of policies that reshuffle the relationship among the fundamental pillars of labour law and inevitably lead to degrading the protection of employees. This book, the first-ever to consider the sources of labour law from a comparative perspective, details the ways in which the traditional hierarchy of sources has been altered, presenting an international view on major cross-cutting issues followed by fifteen country reports. The authors’ analysis of the changing hierarchy of labour law sources in the light of recent trends includes such elements as the following: the constitutional dimension of labour rights; the normative intervention by the State; the regulatory function of collective bargaining and agreements; the hierarchical organization of labour law sources and the ‘principle of favour’; the role played by case law in both common law and civil law countries; the impact of the European Economic Governance; decentralization of collective bargaining; employment conditions as key components of global competitive strategies; statutory schemes that allow employees to sign away their rights. National reports – Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States – describe the structure of labour law regulations in each legal system with emphasis on the current state of affairs. The authors, all distinguished labour law scholars in their countries, thus collectively provide a thorough and comprehensive commentary on labour law regulation and recent tendencies in national labour laws in various corners of the globe. With its definitive analysis of such crucial matters as the decentralization of collective bargaining and how individual employment contracts can deviate from collective agreements and statutory law, and its comparison of representative national labour law systems, this highly informative book will prove of inestimable value to all professionals concerned with employment relations, labour disputes, or labour market policy, especially in the context of multinational workforces.




The Nigerian National Assembly


Book Description

This book examines the role of the legislature in the democratic governance of Nigeria. Once one of the foremost political institutions of governance established in the early days of Colonial administration in Nigeria, the legislature has had an inconsistent role since statehood, subject to repeat dissolution at the hands of various military regimes. Focusing on the Nigerian Fourth Republic’s National Assembly (1999-present), this book discusses in detail the ways in which the national assembly has handled each of its major functions, the nature of the relationship between the assembly and the legislature, and the institutional mechanism through which its internal business is facilitated and executed. Furthermore, the chapters examine the level of assertiveness of the legislature, and the degree of importance and weight attached to their contributions to governance in motions, resolutions, and law-making. This book offers a unique look into legislative studies, an area which has been historically overlooked in the research on the Nigerian government, and will be useful to students and researchers in African studies, democracy and state-building and legislative studies.




Nigeria, a Country Study


Book Description