Urban Violence, Ethnic Militias, and the Challenge of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria
Author : Tunde Babawale
Publisher :
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 10,99 MB
Release : 2003
Category : Democracy
ISBN :
Minority Rights and the National Question in Nigeria
Author : Uyilawa Usuanlele
Publisher : Springer
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 12,35 MB
Release : 2017-03-18
Category : History
ISBN : 3319506307
Book Description
This book offers a thematic study of key debates in the history of the ethnic politics, democratic governance, and minority rights in Nigeria. Nigeria provides a framework for examining the central paradox in post-colonial nation building projects in Africa – the tension between majority rule and minority rights. The liberal democratic model on which most African states were founded at independence from colonial rule, and to which they continue to aspire, is founded on majority rule. It is also founded on the protection of the rights of minority groups to political participation, social inclusion and economic resources. Maintaining this tenuous balance between majority rule and minority rights has, in the decades since independence, become the key national question in many African countries, perhaps none more so than Nigeria. This volume explores these issues, focusing on four key themes as they relate to minority rights in Nigeria: ethnic and religious identities, nationalism and federalism, political crises and armed conflicts.
Ethnic Militias and the Threat to Democracy in Post-transition Nigeria
Author : Osita Agbu
Publisher : Nordic Africa Institute
Page : 62 pages
File Size : 18,50 MB
Release : 2004
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789171065254
Book Description
The democratic opening presented by Nigeria's successful transition to civil rule (June 1998 to May 1999) unleashed a host of hitherto repressed or dormant political forces. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between genuine demands by these forces on the state and outright criminality and mayhem. Post-transition Nigeria is experiencing the proliferation of ethnic militia movements purportedly representing, and seeking to protect, their ethnic interests in a country, which appears incapable of providing the basic welfare needs of its citizens.It is against the background of collective disenchantment with the Nigerian state, and the resurgence of ethnic identity politics that this research interrogates the growing challenge posed by ethnic militias to the Nigerian democracy project. The central thesis is that the over-centralization of power in Nigeria 's federal practice and the failure of post-transitional politics in genuinely addressing the "National Question," has resulted in the emergence of ethnic militias as a specific response to state incapacity. The short- and long-term threats posed by this development to Nigeria 's fragile democracy are real, and justify the call for a National Conference that will comprehensively address the demands of the ethnic nationalities.
Democratic Governance and Political Participation in Nigeria 1999 - 2014
Author : Femi Omotoso
Publisher : African Books Collective
Page : 570 pages
File Size : 30,25 MB
Release : 2016-05-21
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1942876394
Book Description
The year 1999 was a watershed in the history of Nigeria as it witnessed the peaceful transfer of power from the military to the political class. Given Nigerias tumultuous history of successive military interventions, this development was the first genuine transition that saw the military elite transferring political power to civilians without itching to stage a comeback. This edited volume, composed of 22 chapters discusses the form, trajectory and substance of democratic governance in post-military Nigeria between 1999 and 2014. It is a compilation of well researched essays and narratives on Nigerian government and politics. The book is a multi-disciplinary assessment of Nigerias democratic strides, including contributions from scholars in a broad range of disciplines such as history, sociology and anthropology, political science, economics, international relations, among others. The book examines the factors responsible for the resilience of the current democratic governance structures, in spite of centripetal and centrifugal forces frustrating democratic consolidation in the country. It equally interrogates these factors and makes appropriate recommendations for overcoming them. Key themes covered in the book in the Boko Haram insurgency, governance and corruption, militancy, sharia law, Islamic banking amongst others. It sheds light on contending issues affecting, afflicting and retarding the countrys progress. Issues like ethnicity, electoral corruption, human rights abuses, privatization of national assets, kidnapping and armed robbery, overbearing leadership personality and many more are critically discussed. Local government autonomy and the challenges of grassroots development and civil service administration are also thoroughly analysed. Democratic Governance and Political Participation in Nigeria 1999-2014 is a detailed, exhaustive, deep, stimulating and captivating narrative of the Nigerian situation. It is enthusiastically recommended for those who wish to know more about contemporary Nigerian history. As a collection of contemporary issues on the Nigerian government and politics, the book is recommended for courses in politics and governance in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. It is an invaluable companion for both graduate and undergraduate students as well as scholars of African politics.
Federalism in Africa
Author : Russian Academy of Sciences
Publisher : MeaBooks Inc
Page : 227 pages
File Size : 17,66 MB
Release : 2016-06-13
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1988391008
Book Description
The theoretical and practical aspects of the functioning of federal systems on the African continent are covered in this study. It presents an opportunity to familiarize the reader in great detail with the Nigerian federation, past and present, vis-à-vis the national question and the problem of fiscal federalism. The book also reveals the subject of ethnic federalism in its pure form as exemplified in Ethiopia. Furthermore, it analyzes the use of hybrid, quasi-federative policy instruments in countries such as Tanzania, Republic of South Africa, Sudan, and Kenya amongst others. It addresses the issue of the opportunistic use of the federal idea, its abuse in various socio-economic and political circumstances (Nigeria), as well as the occasional and sometimes very short exposition of federalism (Madagascar) and confederalism (Senegambia). In general, the articles in the book present federalism from different angles, revealing the complex and contradictory nature of the concept and the ambiguous experience of its implementation in the African reality.
Obafemi Awolowo and the Making of Remo
Author : Nolte Insa Nolte
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 28,31 MB
Release : 2019-08-06
Category : Politicians
ISBN : 1474471331
Book Description
This book examines the evolution of a distinctive Yoruba community, Remo, and the central role played in this process by the Remo-born Nationalist and Yoruba leader Obafemi Awolowo (1909-87). Since the Nineteenth Century, popular participation has played an important role in challenging or confirming local hierarchies in Remo. This historical dynamic had a significant impact on Awolowo's vision both for Yoruba and Nigerian politics. When he moved into national politics in the 1950s, his career at the national level also gave him the opportunity to shape Remo's political identity. Awolowo was both a product and a producer of Remo politics.Based on a subtle analysis of local-level politics, this book argues that traditional and modern participatory structures play an important role both in Yoruba politics and in the African postcolonial state. At the same time, its focus on Awolowo makes an important contribution to the scholarly debate on one of Nigeria's most important politicians.
Contemporary Nigerian Issues and Challenges
Author : Salahu Mohammed Lawal
Publisher :
Page : 120 pages
File Size : 27,96 MB
Release : 2006
Category : Nigeria
ISBN :
Book Description
Religion in Contemporary Nigeria
Author : Y.A. Quadri
Publisher : Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 44,83 MB
Release : 2016-04-30
Category : Reference
ISBN : 1912234912
Book Description
The dynamism of religion all over the world presupposes that discourse on it generally is a continuous exercise. As religion influences the environment of its operation so also is the influence of the environment on the practice of religion. Nigeria, a multi-religious nation has experienced and is still experiencing the positive as well the negative aspects of religious practices in her socio-political, economic and cultural spheres. There is no doubt that religion is manipulated by some people, which portray it in bad light and makes it vulnerable to criticisms despite the unanimity about its potential to be a force for good in the society. Recent developments in Nigeria indicate that religion has a role in the survival or otherwise of the country. Such include the re-introduction of Sharicah penal code in some states in the northern part of the country, the emergence of Islamic banks, proliferation of private faith-based tertiary institutions, emergence of different factions and sects in religions and the challenge of insurgency using religion as camouflage in the name of the Boko Haram. This book addresses contemporary issues in the use of religion in Nigeria. Its uniqueness lies in the calibre of notable scholars who contributed to it from various ethno-religious and geographical backgrounds. It contains the views of eminent scholars from Islam and Christianity and is jointly edited by experienced professors in the two faiths. The overall aim is to enhance better understanding of religion and to promote peaceful co-existence between and among adherents of the two religions.
Trends in Twenty-First-Century African Theatre and Performance
Author : Kene Igweonu
Publisher : Rodopi
Page : 458 pages
File Size : 30,36 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9401200823
Book Description
Trends in Twenty-First Century African Theatre and Performance is a collection of regionally focused articles on African theatre and performance. The volume provides a broad exploration of the current state of African theatre and performance and considers the directions they are taking in the 21st Century. It contains sections on current trends in theatre and performance studies, on applied/community theatre and on playwrights. The chapters have evolved out of a working group process, in which papers were submitted to peer-group scrutiny over a period of four years, at four international conferences. The book will be particularly useful as a key text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in non-western theatre and performance (where this includes African theatre and performance), and would be a very useful resource for theatre scholars and anyone interested in African performance forms and cultures.
How to Become a Big Man in Africa
Author : Wale Adebanwi
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 591 pages
File Size : 17,62 MB
Release : 2024
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0253070376
Book Description
Can subalterns transform themselves into members of the elite, and what does it take to do so? And how do those efforts reveal the nature of ethnic politics in postcolonial Africa? How to Become a Big Man in Africa: Subalternity, Elites, and Ethnic Politics in Contemporary Nigeria examines these questions by revealing how, through ethno-regional conflict, violence and cultural activities, an artisan, Gani Adams, transformed himself into the holder of the most prestigious chieftaincy title among the Yoruba. Addressing persistent gaps in anthropological studies of the subaltern and of "big men" in politics through in-depth biography and rich social history, Wale Adebanwi follows Adams and other major figures in Nigeria's Oodua People's Congress (OPC) over two decades of ethnographic study and visual representations. Challenging existing models of African political mobility by leveraging his initial lack of formal education into a position of power, Adams moved from a "radical lumpen" and "area boy" to a "big man" who continues to struggle--and reflect--over the significance of his role as a cultural subject. Blurring the lines between tradition and modernity, Adams and his group have used Yoruba rituals to simultaneously claim authenticity and champion new movements for democracy and self-determination. How to Become a Big Man in Africa encourages us to understand the full complexity of Adams's political trajectory and how it reflects the structural and personal realities of becoming a "Big Man" in the contemporary postcolony.
