Abstract
One of the greatest African novelists, the Nigerian Chinua Achebe, eloquently critiqued the situation in his country in his “A Man of the People” (1966) which depicted the fictional country which resembled his own Nigeria. The book depicts politics as defined by corrupt powerful men who in realty were minders of their own rather than of their people. Although Nigeria made a lot of progress in terms of democratization, the legacy of the men of the people still remains the cornerstone of politicking. Politics in Nigeria is based on networks of patronage rather than accountability to the vote. Even the vote is defined by patronage networks and their ability to procure votes. In this chapter, we follow the country’s political history and study the role played by civil society in the country’s democratization. The chapter also shows how civil society has been increasingly co-opted by and into mainstream politics, and how civil society is also increasing to the country’s inability to consolidate its democratic gains.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Abdul-Jelil, A. G. (2009). ‘Godfatherism’ and Nigeria’s fourth republic: Violence and political insecurity in Ibadan. Zaria, Nigeria: Peace & Conflict Studies Programme, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://www.ifra-nigeria.org/publications/ifra-e-papers/conferences/article/ifra-conference-on-conflict-and
Achebe, C. (1966). A man of the people. Johannesburg: Heinemann Educational Publishers.
Adekson, A. O. (2004). The ‘civil society’ problematique: Deconstructing civility and southern Nigeria’s ethnic radicalization. London: Routledge.
Afolayan, F. (2000). Structural adjustment, military dictatorship, civil society, and the struggle for democracy in Nigeria. In R. Bensabat-Kleinberg & J. A. Clark (Eds.), Economic liberalization, democratization, and civil society in the developing world (pp. 129–156). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
African Elections Database. (1999). African elections database: Elections in Nigeria. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015, from African Elections Database: http://africanelections.tripod.com/ng.html#1999_Presidential_Election
Afrobarometer. (2013). Citizens perception on elections and the effect of corruption on fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria. Lagos: Press Release. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015, from http://www.afrobarometer.org/files/documents/press_release/nig_r5_pr1.pdf.
Afrobarometer. (2015). Nigeria heads for closest election on record. Lagos: Afrobarometer. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015, from http://www.afrobarometer.org/files/documents/dispatches/ab_r6_dispatchno11.pdf.
Agbese, P. O. (2004). Chiefs, constitutions, and policies in Nigeria. West Africa Review, 6, 1525–4488.
Agbu, O. (1998). Political opposition and democratic transitions in Nigeria, 1985-1996. In A. O. Olukoshi (Ed.), The politics of opposition in contemporary Africa (p. 259). Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet.
Aiyede, E. R. (2003). The dynamics of civil society and the democratization process in Nigeria. Canadian Journal of African Studies, 37(1), 11–17.
Aka, P. C. (2003). Nigeria since may 1999: Understanding the paradox of civil rule and human rights violations under president Olusegun Obasanjo. San Diego International Law Journal, 4, 209–276.
Akindele, S. T., Olaopa, O. R., & Salaam, N. F. (2009). Political intolerance as a clog in the wheel of democratic governance: The way forward. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 3(8), 365–379.
Akinrinade, S. (2004). On the evolution of civil society in Nigeria. In M. Glasius, D. Lewis, & H. Seckinelgin (Eds.), Exploring civil society: Political and cultural contexts (pp. 125–131). New York: Routledge.
Alabi, M. O. (2009). The legislatures in Africa: A trajectory of weakness. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 3(5), 233–241.
Albin-Lackey, C. (2012). The origins and meaning of Nigeria’s ‘Godfatherism’ Phenomenon. In D. C. Bach & M. Gazibo (Eds.), Neopatrimonialism in Africa and beyond (pp. 132–141). New York: Routledge.
ARD. (2004). Nigeria: Civil society assessment. Burlington: Report submitted to the United States Agency for International Development.
Ardener, S. (1964). The comparative study of rotating credit associations. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 94(2), 201–229.
Ayandele, E. A. (1979). Nigerian historical studies. London: Frank Cass.
Beckman, A., & Jega, A. (1995). Scholars and democratic politics in Nigeria. Review of African Political Economy, 22(64), 167–181.
Bienen, H. (1987). Nigeria. In M. Weiner & E. Özbudun (Eds.), Competitive elections in developing countries (pp. 201–246). Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Bradley, M. T. (2005). Civil society and democratic progression in post-colonial Nigeria: The role of non-governmental organizations. Journal of Civil Society, 1(1), 61–74.
Brown, C. A. (2005). Nigerian coal miners, protest and gender, 1914-49: The Iva Valley mining community. In S. Berger, A. Croll, & N. LaPorte (Eds.), Towards a comparative history of coalfield societies (pp. 127–145). London: Ashgate.
Campbell, J. (2011). Nigeria: Dancing on the brink. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield.
CIVICUS. (2007). Civil society in Nigeria: Contributing to positive social change: CIVICUS civil society index: Nigeria. Abuja, Nigeria: CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.
CNN. (2012, Jan 15). Nigerian labor unions, government resume talks to end fuel strikes. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/15/world/africa/nigeria-strike/
Corchado, L. R. (2005). Complying with international law: A call for free and fair elections. Brooklyn Journal of International Law, 30(3), 1029.
Debra, O. (2012). Nigerian police arrest suspects of Mubi students killing, Afrik. News (4 Oct. 2012). Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://www.afrik-news.com/article19342.html
Deutsche Welle. (2014). Nigerian police retract ban on protests for kidnapped girls (6 Mar). Abuja: Deutsche Welle. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://www.dw.de/nigerian-police-retract-ban-on-protests-for-kidnapped-girls/a-17679842.
Diamond, L. (1995). Nigeria: The uncivic society and the descent into praetorianism. In L. Diamond, J. J. Linz, & S. M. Lipset (Eds.), Politics in developing countries: Comparing experiences with democracy (2nd ed.). Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Dibua, J. I. (2006). Modernization and the crisis of development in Africa: The Nigerian experience. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Falola, T. (1998). Violence in Nigeria: The crisis of religious politics and secular ideologies. Rochester: University of Rochester Press.
Gathii, J., & Nyamu, C. (1996). Reflections on United States-based human rights NGOs’ work on Africa. Harvard Human Rights Journal, 9, 285–296.
Guest, R. (2000, Jan 15). Survey: Nigeria, The last despot? The Economist. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://www.economist.com/node/273172
Hazen, J. M., & Horner, J. (2007). Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The niger delta in perspective. Geneva: Graduate Institute of International Studies.
Human Rights Watch. (2006, Apr). “They do not own this place” government discrimination against “non-indigenes” in Nigeria. Reports, 18(3(A)).
Human Rights Watch. (2012, May). The Bakassi boys: The legitimization of murder and torture. Report, 14(5(A)).
Ibrahim, J. (1991). Religion and political turbulence in Nigeria. Journal of Modern African Studies, 29(1), 115–136.
Ibrahim, J. (2003). Democratic transition in Anglophone West Africa. Dakar: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa.
Ifeka, C. (2006). Conflict, complicity and confusion: unravelling empowerment struggles in Nigeria after the return to “democracy”. Review of African Political Economy, 27(83), 115–123.
Ihonvbere, J. O. (1996). Are things falling apart? The military and the crisis of democratisation in Nigeria. Journal of Modern African Studies, 34(2), 193–225.
Ihonvbere, J. O. (1997). Organized labor and the struggle for democracy in Nigeria. Organized Labor and the Struggle for Democracy in Nigeria, 40(3), 77–110.
IHRDA. (2015). African commission on human and peoples’ rights. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from African Human Rights Case Law Analyser: http://caselaw.ihrda.org/acmhpr/search/?c=97&o=177&p=1
Ikelegbe, A. (2001a). Civil society, oil and conflict in the niger delta region of Nigeria: Ramifications of civil society for a regional resource struggle. Journal of Modern African Studies, 39(3), 437–469.
Ikelegbe, A. (2001b). The perverse manifestation of civil society: Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Modern African Studies, 39(1), 1–24.
Ikpe, U. B. (2009). The impact of manipulated re-elections on accountability and legitimacy of democratic regimes in Africa: Observations from Nigeria, Zambia and Kenya. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 3(7), 300–310.
International Crisis Group. (2011). Lessons from Nigeria’s 2011 elections. Abuja: Africa Briefing No. 81. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015, from http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/west-africa/nigeria/B81%20-%20Lessons%20from%20Nigeras%202011%20Elections.pdf
Kane, O. (2003). Muslim modernity in postcolonial Nigeria: A study of the society for the removal of innovation and reinstatement of tradition. Leiden: Brill.
Kew, D. (2004). The 2003 elections: Hardly credible, but acceptable. In R. I. Rotberg (Ed.), Crafting the new Nigeria: Confronting the challenges (pp. 139–173). Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Korieh, C. J. (2003). Gender and peasant resistance: Recasting the myth of the invisible woman in colonial Eastern Nigeria, 1925-1945. In A. Oyebade (Ed.), The foundations of Nigeria: Essays in honor of Toyin Falola (pp. 623–646). Asmara: Africa World Press.
Kuenzi, M. T. (2008). Social capital and political trust in West Africa, Afrobarometer working papers no. 96. Cape Town: Afrobarometer.
Lee, J. (2007). Civil society in Nigeria: An overview. Centre for Applied Studies in International Negotiations Programme on NGOs & Civil Society.
Lewis, P. M., Robinson, P. T., & Rubin, B. R. (1998). Stabilizing Nigeria: Sanctions, incentives, and support for civil society. New York: Century Foundation Press.
Lucas, J. (1994). The state, civil society and regional elites: A study of three associations in Kano Nigeria. African Affairs, 93(370), 21–38.
Mamdani, M. (1996). Citizen and subject, contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Metz, H. C. (1991). Nigeria: A country study. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Morka, F. (2011). A place to live: Resisting evictions in Ijora-Badia, Nigeria. In L. E. White & J. Perelman (Eds.), Stones of hope: How African activists reclaim human rights to challenge global poverty (pp. 29–41). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
New York Times. (16 May 2006). President of Nigeria loses bid for a 3rd term ();. Abuja: New York Times. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/world/africa/16iht-lagos.html?_r=1
Nkwocha, O. G. (2011). Effective leadership in Nigeria: Practical ways to build effective, inspiring, transformational and visionary leadership and governance in Nigeria. Bloomington: AuthorHouse.
Nolustshungu, S. C. (1991). Fragments of a democracy: Reflections on class and politics in Nigeria. In J. Mayall & A. Payne (Eds.), The fallacies of hope: The post-colonial record of the commonwealth third world (pp. 72–105). Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Nugent, P. (1996). Big men, small boys and politics in Ghana: Power, ideology and the burden of history, 1982-1994. London and New York: Frances Pinter.
Nwaubani, E. (1994). Chieftaincy among the Igbo: A guest on the center-stage. International Journal of African Historical Studies, 27(2), 347–371.
Nwaubani, E. (2002). Constitution-making and the Nigerian identity, 1914-1960. In A. Oyebade (Ed.), The transformation of Nigeria: Essays in honor of Toyin Falola (pp. 73–112). Asmara: Africa World Press.
Nwosu, B. U. (2006). Civil society and electoral mandate protection in Southeastern Nigeria. International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law, 9(1), 20, 24.
Obianyo, N. E. (2008). Democracy on sale: The 2007 Nigerian elections and the future of the democratic movement. In Africa’ in Nigeria’s stumbling democracy and its implications for Africa’s democratic movement (pp. 35–55). Westport, CT: Praeger
Obono, D. (2011). Trade unions as social movements and political actors in Nigeria (1994-2004). Stichproben Wiener Zeitschrift für Kritische Afrikastudien, 20, 95–113.
Ojie, A. E. (2006). Democracy, ethnicity, and the problem of extrajudicial killing in Nigeria. Journal of Black Studies, 34(4), 546–569.
Okafor, O. C. (2006). Legitimizing human rights NGOs: Lessons from Nigeria. Asmara: African World Press.
Okafor, O. C. (2010). What should Organized human rights activism in Africa become? Contributory insights from a comparison of NGOS and labor-led movements in Nigeria. Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, 16, 113–154.
Okonkwo, R. (1982). The Lagos auxiliary of the anti-slavery and aborigines rights protection society: A re-examination. International Journal of African Historical Studies, 15(3), 423–433.
Oloka-Onyango, J. (2003). Reinforcing marginalized rights in an age of globalization: International mechanisms, non-state actors, and the struggle for peoples’ rights in Africa. American University International Law Review, 18(4), 803–849.
Olusanya, G. O. (1966). The Zikist movement – A study in political radicalism, 1946-50. Journal of Modern African Studies, 4(3), 323–333.
Omotola, J. S. (2010). Elections and democratic transition in Nigeria under the Fourth Republic. African Affairs, 109(437), 535–553.
Onwuekwe, C. B. (2003). Constitutional development, 1914-1960: British legacy or local exigency? In A. Oyebade (Ed.), The foundations of Nigeria: Essays in honor of Toyin Falola (pp. 153–180). Asmara: Africa World Press.
Orji, I. E. (2001). Issues on ethnicity and governance in Nigeria: A universal human rights perspective. Fordham International Law Journal, 25(2), 431–482.
Osaghae, E. E. (1996). Human rights and ethnic conflict management: The case of Nigeria. Journal of Peace Research, 33(2), 171–188.
Osiki, O. M. (2010). ‘Gold, Guns & Goons’: The complexity of electoral irregularities in Nigeria, 1999–2007. Information, Society and Justice, 3(2), 151–163.
Ostien, P. (2009). Jonah Jang and the Jasawa: Ethno-religious conflict in Jos, Nigeria, Muslim-Christian relations in Africa. Bayreuth: University of Bayreuth. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://www.sharia-in-africa.net/media/publications/ethno-religious-conflict-in-Jos-Nigeria/Ostien_Jos.pdf.
Othman, S. (1984). Classes, crises and coup: The demise of Shagari’s regime. African Affairs, 83, 441–461.
Othman, S. (1989). Nigeria: Power for profit – Class, corporatism, and factionalism in the military. In D. C. O'Brien, J. Dunn, & R. Rathbone (Eds.), Contemporary West African states (pp. 113–144). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Oviasuyi, P. O., & Uwadiae, J. (2010). The dilemma of niger-delta region as oil producing states of Nigeria. Peace, Conflict and Development, 16(6), 110–126.
Oyebade, A. (2003). A retrospect on colonial Nigeria. In A. Oyebade (Ed.), The foundations of Nigeria: Essays in honor of Toyin Falola (pp. 1–15). Asmara: Africa World Press.
Panford, K. (1996). The evolution of workers’ rights in Africa: The British colonial experience. Boston University International Law Journal, 14(1), 55–79.
Phillips, B. (1999). Africa analysis: Democracy returns. BBC. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/288890.stm
Rtunner, M., & Suntinger, W. (1995). Nigeria in human rights in developing countries: Yearbook 1995. In P. R. Baehr, H. Hilde, S. Jacquelint, & T. Swinehart (Eds.), Human rights in developing countries: Yearbook 1995 (pp. 251–252). The Hague: Kluwer.
Siollun, M. (2009). Oil, politics and violence: Nigeria’s military coup culture (1966-1976). New York: Algora.
Sklar, R. L. (2004). Nigerian political parties: Power in an emergent African nation. Asmara: Africa World Press.
Smith, D. J. (2004). Burials and belonging in Nigeria: Rural-urban relations and social inequality in a contemporary African ritual. American Anthropologist, 106(3), 569–579.
Soares, B. (2009). An Islamic social movement in contemporary West Africa: NASFAT of Nigeria. In S. Ellis & I. van Kessel (Eds.), Movers and shakers: Social movements in Africa (pp. 178–196). Lieden: Brill.
Solomon, K. (2011). Information gathering in Nigeria: Freedom of information act to the rescue. The Lawyers Chronicle. Retrieved Feb 16, 2015, from http://thelawyerschronicle.com/information-gathering-in-nigeria-freedom-of-information-act-to-the-rescue/
Starr, J. E. (1999). “What do you have for me today?”: Observing the 1999 Nigerian presidential election. Stanford Journal of International Law, 35(2), 389–397.
Suberu, R. T. (2001). Federalism and ethnic conflict in Nigeria. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press.
Tar, U. A. (2008). Politics of neoliberal democracy in Africa: State and civil society in Nigeria. New York: I.B. Tauris.
Tar, U. A. (2009). Organised labour and democratic struggles in Nigeria. Information, Society and Justice, 2(2), 165–181.
Tar, U. A., & Zack-Williams, A. B. (2007). Nigeria: Contested elections and an unstable democracy. Review of African Political Economy, 34(113), 540–548.
Vaughan, O. (1995). Assessing grassroots politics and community development in Nigeria. African Affairs, 94, 501–518.
Vaughan, O. (2003). Chieftaincy politics and communal identity in Western Nigeria, 1893-1951. Journal of African History, 44(2), 283–302.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ibrahim, A.M. (2015). The Case of Nigeria: A State Stuck in Transition. In: The Role of Civil Society in Africa’s Quest for Democratization. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18383-1_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18383-1_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18382-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18383-1
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)