USA Africa Dialogue Series - New Publication - "Understanding Modern Nigeria" by Toyin Falola

 

 

From: research_africa-request@duke.edu <research_africa-request@duke.edu> on behalf of Omotayo Keyede <wordsmender@gmail.com>
Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 3:14 PM
To: research_africa@duke.edu <research_africa@duke.edu>
Subject: New Publication - "Understanding Modern Nigeria" by Toyin Falola

Toyin Falola's Understanding Modern Nigeria: Ethnicity, Democracy, and Development

 

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Modern-Nigeria-Ethnicity-Development/dp/1108947638

 

Since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, Nigeria has grown to become Africa's second-largest economy and one of the world's major oil producers.  However, despite the country's economic prosperity, there are significant divisions among its two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, with constant conflict and heavy violence in most parts of the country due to major differences in language, culture, and religious beliefs. These issues are fuelled by the country's postcolonial leaders, whose thirst for power and wealth amassment has made them turn deaf ears to the suffering of the people.

Following Nigeria's independence from its colonial rulers, the military ruled the country for about 30 years, during which time their administration was fraught with high rates of extrajudicial killings and other forms of violence. Between 1967 and 1970, the country broke out in Civil War, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of vast amounts of property. Eventually, the country returned to democratic rule in 1999. One would expect that the country's leaders would have learned their lessons and prioritize the people's comfort above all else. Unfortunately, this has not proven out to be the case.

In December 2020, the Financial Times published an article where it stated that "Nigeria is at risk of becoming a failed state" (https://www.ft.com/content/9abc218d-3881-4bfd-8951-e76336cde94f) because of the high rate of kidnappings and killings in the country and other forms of corruption among elected government officials and from some citizens who have resorted to crimes out of anger at a government that has failed in its responsibility to protect its citizens and offer them hope. However, five short months later, in May 2021, Robert Rotberg, the founding director of the Harvard Kennedy's School's Program on Intrastate Conflict, and John Campbell, a Ralph Bunce Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Research at the Council of Foreign Relations, described Nigeria as a failed state: "Nigeria has long teetered on the precipice of failure. But now, unable to keep its citizens safe and secure, Nigeria has become a fully failed state of critical geopolitical concern. Its failure matters because the peace and prosperity of Africa and preventing the spread of disorder and militancy around the globe depend on a stronger Nigeria." (https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/27/nigeria-is-a-failed-state/)

Nevertheless, there is the need to understand the politics and society of postcolonial Nigeria and the trajectory of events that have led the country to where it is presently. This is what Toyin Falola has accomplished in his new book, Understanding Modern Nigeria. With focus on ethnicity, democracy, and governance, three of the most important issues in Nigeria's postcolonial narrative, this book provides a concise but comprehensive overview of the historical events and developments that have influenced each of these three domains. Some of the topics covered in this book include the adoption of federalism as a political system and the theological and political plutocracy of the Igbo. Using an examination of the outcomes of this history, which is manifested in hunger, violence, poverty, human rights violations, threats of secession, and corruption where power and resources are used to reproduce underdevelopment, Falola offers insights and recommendations for the future of policy and the potential for intervention in the country.

Understanding Modern Nigeria, published by Cambridge University Press, is a voluminous book with 672 pages divided into 25 chapters. As far as postcolonial Nigeria is concerned, this work by Professor Toyin Falola is the most accurate and authoritative available.