Boko Haram’s Terrorism and the Nigerian State

Boko Haram’s Terrorism and the Nigerian State
Author: Olumuyiwa Temitope Faluyi
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 171
Release: 2019-03-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030057372

This book assesses the effectiveness of Nigeria’s counterterrorist policies against Boko Haram. It takes a critical review of the interventionist strategies adopted by the Nigerian government, highlights the motivations behind the choice of strategies, and proffers a deeper understanding of the factors responsible for the state’s inability, thus far, to rid the country of terrorism. Specifically, it evaluates the NACTEST policy framework that guides the Nigerian state’s counterterrorist strategies, which contains both hard and soft power approaches. Adopting historical and case study approaches which put the Nigerian state and occurrences of violent conflict in context, it takes cognizance of the politics of ethno-religious diversity which reinforce violent conflicts among groups and against the state, and reviews the socio-economic and political realities that led to the emergence and sustenance of Boko Haram. The volume concludes by suggesting practical policy options for combating Boko Haram and other similar armed insurrection. This book is appropriate for researchers and students interested in African politics, conflict, security, peace studies, terrorism, and counterterrorism, as well as policy makers and government departments dealing with terrorism and counterterrorism.

A History of Nigeria

A History of Nigeria
Author: Toyin Falola
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2008-04-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1139472038

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and the world's eighth largest oil producer, but its success has been undermined in recent decades by ethnic and religious conflict, political instability, rampant official corruption and an ailing economy. Toyin Falola, a leading historian intimately acquainted with the region, and Matthew Heaton, who has worked extensively on African science and culture, combine their expertise to explain the context to Nigeria's recent troubles through an exploration of its pre-colonial and colonial past, and its journey from independence to statehood. By examining key themes such as colonialism, religion, slavery, nationalism and the economy, the authors show how Nigeria's history has been swayed by the vicissitudes of the world around it, and how Nigerians have adapted to meet these challenges. This book offers a unique portrayal of a resilient people living in a country with immense, but unrealized, potential.

Nigerian Politics

Nigerian Politics
Author: Rotimi Ajayi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2020-12-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 303050509X

This volume engages in an in-depth discussion of Nigerian politics. Written by an expert group of Nigerian researchers, the chapters provide an overarching, Afrocentric view of politics in Nigeria, from pre-colonial history to the current federal system. The book begins with a series of historical chapters analyzing the development of Nigeria from its traditional political institutions through the First Republic. After establishing the necessary historical context, the next few chapters shift the focus to specific political institutions and phenomena, including the National Assembly, local government and governance, party politics, and federalism. The remaining chapters discuss issues that continue to affect Nigerian politics: the debt crisis, oil politics in the Niger Delta, military intervention and civil-military relations, as well as nationalism and inter-group relations. Providing an overview of Nigerian politics that encompasses history, economics, and public administration, this volume will be useful to students and researchers interested in African politics, African studies, democracy, development, history, and legislative studies.

Nationalism and Intra-State Conflicts in the Postcolonial World

Nationalism and Intra-State Conflicts in the Postcolonial World
Author: Fonkem Achankeng
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 570
Release: 2015-09-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1498500269

This book highlights the complexities of nationalism and the struggles of different groups left unaddressed within the nation-states of a postcolonial world. The central question is what happened to the worldly and radical visions of freedom, liberty, and equality that animated intellectual activists and policy makers from Woodrow Wilson in the 1920s? This book analyzes the outcome of lumping disparate groups of people together under one nation-state and holding them together against the knowledge of the incompatibility theory of plural states. In a world of arbitrarily and colonially mapped sovereign states, groups, and nations with distinctive histories and cultures trapped within the borders of sovereign states want the freedom to decide their own destinies. This book challenges, deconstructs, and decolonizes Western epistemologies related to postcolonial state formation and maintenance. In examining the freedom concept that no human group ought to be determining the independence of other human groups, this book constructs an alternative conceptualization of nations and peoples’ rights in the twenty-first century, in which radical hopes and global dreams are recognized as central to internal nationalism struggles.

The Legislature in Nigeria’s Presidential Democracy of the Fourth Republic

The Legislature in Nigeria’s Presidential Democracy of the Fourth Republic
Author: Omololu Fagbadebo
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2023-03-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3031246950

This book investigates whether legislative institutions, state and national, in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic have been able to harness constitutional powers to impact public policy. Presenting how the Nigerian state has not been able to showcase the expected dividends of presidential democracy since 1999, it analyzes the crisis of governance and its impact on political stability, social cohesion, and the livelihood of citizens. The book further discusses the depreciating infrastructure, corruption, and mismanagement of public resources, and shows how defiant attitudes of public political and bureaucratic officials define the new wave of corruption and profligacy in Nigeria, presenting this development as a result of a weakened legislature. The book displays the necessity of implementing a culture of accountability and discusses oversight mechanisms to make the executive accountable. These mechanisms are designed to ensure effective public service delivery. Finally, the book situates the legislative institutions in Nigeria within the context of the contributions of the National Assembly and the Assemblies of the State Houses to the development of this emerging democracy in Africa. The book will appeal to students and scholars of political science and public administration, as well as policy-makers and practitioners interested in a better understanding of democracy, separation of powers, governance, and Nigerian politics.

Two Decades of Legislative Politics and Governance in Nigeria’s National Assembly

Two Decades of Legislative Politics and Governance in Nigeria’s National Assembly
Author: Fatai Ayinde Aremu
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2021-05-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9813344555

This book unpacks two decades of Nigeria’s National Assembly spanning 4th–8th legislative sessions. It focuses on the core areas of legislative functions – lawmaking, appropriation, oversight and representation – in examining the achievements, challenges and prospects of the legislature. This is particularly important because Nigeria being the most populous country in Africa is a crucial bastion of democratic governance in the region. Therefore, conducting deep diagnostics of the federal legislature as the custodian of popular mandate and the anchor of accountability offered immense opportunity for learning that would catalyze further institutional reforms and democratic consolidation.

Social and Political Foundations of Constitutions

Social and Political Foundations of Constitutions
Author: Denis J. Galligan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 693
Release: 2013-10-14
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1107434572

This volume analyses the social and political forces that influence constitutions and the process of constitution making. It combines theoretical perspectives on the social and political foundations of constitutions with a range of detailed case studies from nineteen countries. In the first part leading scholars analyse and develop a range of theoretical perspectives, including constitutions as coordination devices, mission statements, contracts, products of domestic power play, transnational documents, and as reflection of the will of the people. In the second part these theories are examined through in-depth case studies of the social and political foundations of constitutions in countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, Japan, Romania, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Israel, Argentina and others. The result is a multidimensional study of constitutions as social phenomena and their interaction with other social phenomena.