Product Description
The past few years have been very traumatic ones for many Nigerians. With the exception of those in power or close to the seat of power, the changes of 1998 were a welcome relief given the tyranny and repression that the country had suffered under General Abacha. With many people in prison and more in exile, the death of Abacha was received with a sigh of relief. Many observers have seen the resilience that has come to signify the strength and potential of this once "giant of Africa, " as well as the destruction and the socio-political and economic decay of the past decades.The Nigerian people have endured the exploitation of their rights due to the lack of democratic leadership, and with this in mind, they have been called to attention to fight for their country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Poor Read - don't even bother
This book is a very poor attempt at synopsising Nigeria's current predicament. Firstly, they could have at least got the book checked for spelling and grammatical errors, as it is constantly littered with them - very unprofessional and amateur! The authors frequently scratched the surface of some of the problems facing Obasanjo's regime, but without ever really delving in to them sufficiently. Their suggestions managed to posit 'what should be done?', but did not address the more problematic question of 'how will it be done?'. In short, this book offers nothing new, and is not worth the read. ... Read more

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Book Review - "Nigeria and the Politics of Unreason"
Nigeria and the Politics of Unreason: A Study of the Obasanjo Regime [A book Review Presented at the Launching of "Nigeria and the Politics of Unreason," May 8, 2004, Oakland, California]

By Lady, Lolo Agatha Ekeh, MSN
(...)

Book Author: Victor E. Dike
Publisher: [London: Adonis & Abbey Publishers, Nov 20, 2003]

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen!

We are here this evening to celebrate the handiwork of one of our own, one of the authors of the present times.We are here to present to you a study of the regime in our home land Nigeria from the year 1999 to 2003.This period marked the actualization of the `democracy-experiment' in Nigeria.But how well this supposed `democracy' process has been managed by the current Chief Obasanjo administration is what Victor E. Dike has ventured to put in perspective in the book - "Nigeria and the Politics of Unreason: A Study of the Obasanjo Regime."

This evening, I will be presenting to you the brief overview of the chapters in the book."Nigeria and the Politics of Unreason" is divided into four parts.And each part is made up of two to three chapters, with each chapter analyzing issues that existed and still persists in our democracy.

Part one covers Chapters one and two.Chapter one is the overview of the political life and activities of the politicians in Nigeria, including their leadership styles.It highlights the benefits of ideology-based politics, and the impacts of its lack thereof, which leads to what Mr. Dike brands `the politics of unreason.' In chapter two, the brief history of political parties in Nigeria as we know it to date is reviewed and the role-played by historical figures is presented.

In part two, there are chapters three, four and five.Chapter three defines leadership, leadership types and who really is a leader.Chapter four goes on to present the challenges of leadership as evidenced by the endemic and epidemic proportions of corruption and the consequences, which everyone in the society experiences. Chapter five portrays the impacts corruption, or rather its residual effects, one of which is the dismal `poverty profile of the people'. To achieve this the book adopts a broader perspective of corruption and poverty and their true dimensions.As a matter of personal opinion, after reading this chapter, one would realize that as Nigerians, we are bound to feel the pinch of the dismal poverty profile of the people in Nigeria in the long run no matter where we are residing in the world.

Part three of the book is made up of Chapters six, seven, and eight.These three chapters present the complex relationship between the availability of basic education, functional economy and the dream of becoming technologically competent in our democratic Nigeria, in order to participate fully in the global economy.The importance of education in the development and sustenance of a democratic society such as Nigeria is also highlighted.

According to Dike (2003), education is not a mere learning of alphabets or numbers.It involves the transformation of the human mind that is involved in the process of learning for the betterment of the individual and the society at large.With such a definition, un-relenting efforts should be applied to developing the form of education that is carefully put together and maintained, because that means a suitable framework on which the productivity of the people rest.

Chapters nine, ten, and eleven are parts of Part four of the book.Chapter nine presents the sad fact of the pervasiveness of insecurity in Nigeria.There is nowhere to hide from criminals in the society, so to speak, because of political, religious, educational and economic instability in the present `Nigerian-style democracy'.So much for the real democracy, which connotes a political process where all involved citizens participate fully in determining the rules of law, that governs them daily.No life is too small to be wasted!

Chapter ten of the book points out a twist to that concept as it exists in Nigerian democracy.The concept of `God-fatherism' is introduced and how it affects the Nigerian `democracy-experiment.'Chapter eleven presents democracy in action, with a review of the 2003 elections.The challenges this period presented and the effects of the `predatory democracy' are well documented.Mr. Victor E. Dike concludes the book by suggesting possible ways and means of resolving the noted incompatible component of a true democracy that may have contributed to the anomalies prevalent during the period in review - the 1999 to 2003 politics.

In conclusion, the sad fact is that Nigerian politicians have been condoning and nurturing `the politics of unreason.' This book is a must read for any person with the interest of Nigeria at heart, because it will educate that person of the type of politics prevalent in Nigeria - one that involves political assassinations, `Ghana-Must-Go' bags, politics devoid of ideology, and unreasonable decampments and crude political God-Fatherism. This type of crude and senseless politics that is what Mr. Victor E. Dike brands`the politics of unreason.' Therefore, every Nigerian should endeavor to contribute his/her quota in our collective search for solutions to the myriad sociopolitical and economic problems facing our dear Nigeria, as well documented by Mr. Dike in "Nigeria and the Politics of Unreason: A Study of the Obasanjo Regime."

Thank you. ... Read more

Product Description
Since achieving independence in 1960, Nigeria has suffered through a civil war, the overthrow of elected governments in repeated military coups, and severe economic crises. This study looks at the country's economic development under these conditions and in light of Nigeria's status as a Third World nation with an economy largely dependent on foreign capital and international markets. Focusing on state economic policy, Ohiorhenuan assesses Nigeria's development as a dependent capitalist economy under military rule and identifies both the factors that promote this type of development and those that constrain it. ... Read more

Product Description
Known as the "Giant of Africa," Nigeria is without doubt a country of immense natural and human resources. It has, however, managed to remain hardly more than a gnome. After decades of debilitating military dictatorship and the demise of another "messiah of the land," General Sani Abacha, there is hope for a better future. The sleeping giant finally aspires to impact the lives of not only its citizens, but also those of other countries.

In his book, Ojo-Ade addresses various issues concerning Nigeria. These include the notion of democracy, religion, sports as an emerging symbol of unity and progress, and the role that the military, politicians, and academics have played in the country. Other topics covered are the lives and times of leaders such as Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, and Nnamdi Azikiwe. Finally, Ojo-Ade examines the country’s education system as a symptom of a nation filled with corruption and explores the leadership of Sani Abacha and the annulled election of Moshood Abiola.

This book is a must read for those interested in understanding the Nigerian dilemma. ... Read more

Product Description
Allison Ayida was a leading civil servant in Nigeria during the early years after independence and during the civil war. As the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development he was instrumental in shaping Nigeria's post civil war economy. Later in life he was on the boards of several companies and chaired a Nigeria bank. His autobiography sheds light on a generation of public servants and development economists over a period of four decades, which saw dramatic changes in the practice and politics of economics, and in the local and international environments. ... Read more

Product Description
Nigeria poses one of the globe's greatest challenges and risks. It is Africa'smost populous country and a major exporter of oil and potentially of natural gas, but its people'sefforts to realize their potential have been frustrated by internal conflicts and misrule. Thecountry was nearly torn apart by a secession movement and civil war during 1967-70. Recentcrises, set off by the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, once again raise thespecter of internal conflict. The current military regime's carefully controlled political transitionplan and intermittent economic reforms do not confront the real problems facing the country andmay in fact aggravate them.

To investigate the degree of danger and consider various strategies to meet it, the Councilon Foreign Relations' Center for Preventive Action (CPA) established a working group onNigeria.This volume, the third in the CPA series of Preventive Action Reports, presents thegroup's findings and recommendations.It advocates a strategy of graduated pressure, includingsome sanctions, incentives in response to positive change, clearer communication of policy goalsto the Nigerian government and public, and long-term engagement with Nigerian civil society,that will provide the basic underpinning for any genuine transition. ... Read more

Product Description
This study establishes a link between structure, policies and growth. Based on the structure of Nigeria, the book suggests economic policies suitable to the growth needs of the country. The policies are based on using the internal resources of the country for increasing growth of national income and employment. It also deals with political and social problems which may have impact on the economic development. Bribery and its effects on development are examined in detail, as are the political and economic factors responsible for creating problems in the Nigerian census of population. ... Read more

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This study documents a crucial dimension of the resistance of Nigerian civil society to a repressive and monumentally corrupt military state in the late 1980s and 1990s in Nigeria. Employing a neo-Gramscian theoretical framework, the study relates how a section of the media defied censorship laws, outright bans, incarceration and the assassination of opposition figures, to prosecute the struggle for democracy.

It captures the tensions and contradictions between a pliant section of the media, which sought to legitimize the state and a critical section of the same media, which in alliance with radical civil society, invented rebellious outlets to carry on the struggle against dictatorship.

The study seeks to make fresh departures by documenting not only the role of the national media in the throes of democratic struggle, but that of the international media whose role was influential in the years studied. Finally the report offers empirical proof of the mechanisms by which a vibrant civil society can curb the ravages of a predatory state in an African country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The birth of media guerrilla tactics in Nigeria
Chronicling a period of detentions, assassinations and newspaper seizures under Nigeria's military dictatorships, Olukotun deconstructs the state's struggle to secure political hegemony through control of the media. In spare, evocative sketches of political watershed events in this period, he details how the media revolution evolved to tackle the authoritarian rule of Nigeria's monumentally corrupt military class and call attention to the everyman's struggle to survive a derailed structural adjustment policy that raised the prices of staple foods more than 20-fold over the course of a few years. Guerrilla tactics kept these banned and hunted journalists alive, and kept up an irrepressible torrent of scorn and outrage that played a critical role in delegitimising the military state in the international community. This militant press genre actively fought the government's terror tactics in the face of state-sanctioned death threats, constant surveillance and a technologically bankrupt recession economy that made publishing a trial even for the sycophantic state-sanctioned papers. They learned to evade a government that would take a journalist's wife and baby daughter hostage until he presented himself to authorities to take their place in detention. The radical performances of outraged traditional poets and the `pavement radio' rumor mill complemented the underground media's efforts, spreading open scorn for the shamelessly dysfunctional military government. The powerful pirate radio station Freedom Frequency Radio - renamed Radio Kudirat after an assassinated activist - kept up its broadcasts by never allowing the station's location to be discovered by the authorities. Although it is written in a plain analytical style, the substance of this book is deeply inspiring - independent-minded journalists everywhere should be attentive to these terribly pertinent history lessons today. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Dike has made a contribution to the study of Nigeria's principal formative period by drawing on local as well as British sources for his material. He describes how the revolution in trade reacted upon the social and political systems and how the existing native governments were gradually supplanted by British sonsular power. His study ends with the recognition of the British claim to supremacy in the Niger territories at the Berlin West African Conference of 1885. ... Read more

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The author is a highly respected scholar, currently director of the Strategic Studies Programme at the University of Ibadan. His study is an analysis of the growing power and influence of retired top military officers in contemporary Nigeria. He argues that the traditional concept of the separation of civil society and the military is out-moded. Factors such as the growing numbers of such retirees, their share of the national budget via gratuities and pensions, penetration into spheres of civilian activity, roles and businessmen and large-scale farmers, members of boards of directors of major industrial concerns, involvement with companies vital to the country's economy, and their participation in government and politics. ... Read more