Constitutionalism and Democratization in Africa

Africa, Constitutionalism, Democracy, Human Rights, Leadership, Nigeria, Political Economy, Politics and Gender /

Our discussion today would focus on the new politics of constitutionalism and democratization in Africa and Nigeria. While my focus would be on Nigeria, I would draw lessons from other African states. Critical aspects of our discussion would focus on the nature, character and politics of the Nigerian ruling class though one could legitimately ask: Is the so-called ruling class actually ruling? Or is it just governing? We would focus also on the nature and composition and character of the Nigerian state.

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Civil Society, the State and the New Politics in Africa

Africa, Constitutionalism, Democracy, Political Economy, Politics and Gender, Underdevelopment /

Paper presented at the conference on “The State in Africa: Beyond False Starts” Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan, April 11-14, 2002. We are united in our conviction that the crisis currently engulfing Africa, is not only an economic crisis but also a human, legal, political and social crisis… At the same time, the political

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Constitutionalism in Africa

Africa, Constitutionalism, Democracy, Federalism, Foreign Policy, Global Economy, Leadership, Nigeria, Political Economy, Politics and Gender /

Constitutionalism in Africa: The Issues, Challenges and Opportunities. Text of keynote lecture delivered at the conference on “Constitutionalism and State Reconstruction in West Africa” organized by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) The ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja ,Nigeria September 13, 2000.  The views expressed in this paper are those of the author.

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Beyond Constitution Making

Africa, Constitutionalism, Democracy, Federalism, Human Rights, Leadership, Nationalism, Political Economy, Politics /

Beyond Constitution Making Experiences in Africa: Challenges and Prospects. Text of keynote lecture delivered at the conference on constitutionalism in Southern Africa organized by the Southern Africa Research Institute for Policy Studies (SARIPS), Sheraton Hotel, Harare, Zimbabwe, July 24-27, 2000.  The views expressed in this paper are those of the author. It is indeed an

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The Search for True Federalism in Nigeria.

1 Comment / Africa, Constitutionalism, Corruption, Democracy, Federalism, Leadership, Nationalism, Nigeria, Political Economy, Politics, Underdevelopment /

Background paper presented at a conference on “Federalism and the State” by the Program on Ethnic and Federal Studies, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, November 25-27, 2002. Under a true federal constitution, each group, however small, is entitled to the same treatment as any other group, however large. Opportunity must be afforded to each

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Dismantling the Leviathan

Africa, Corruption, Democracy, Global Economy, International Relations, Leadership, Nationalism, Political Economy, Politics, Underdevelopment /

Dismantling the Leviathan: Constitutionalism, Civil Society and the New Politics in Africa. Being Text of Lecture at the New Hampshire International Seminar Series, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, April 3, 2002. The views expressed in this lecture are strictly those of the author. Let me state from the outset that the most critical

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The state, constitutionalism and democratization in Africa

Africa, Constitutionalism, Democracy, Global Economy, Political Economy, Politics, Underdevelopment /

Most (transitions in Africa) have turned out to be false starts; the democratization has often been shallow…But the pressures for democratization are so strong that for most of Africa it is no longer a question of whether there will be a democratic transition but when. – Claude Ake The current wave of political liberalization in

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Survival in contemporary Africa

Africa, Constitutionalism, Corruption, Democracy, Federalism, Foreign Policy, Global Economy, Human Rights, International Relations, Leadership, Nationalism, Nigeria, Political Economy, Political Theory, Politics, Underdevelopment /

There is a growing consensus that despite the emerging sites of hope on the African political landscape, the region still faces daunting obstacles to growth, development and peace.  Contemporary discourses on Africa, even where optimistic, reveal a certain doubt as to the continent’s future. Statistical indicators of progress are hardly reflective of the conditions of

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Pan-Africanism: Agenda for African Unity

Africa, Constitutionalism, Democracy, Leadership, Nationalism, Political Economy, Political Theory, Politics, Underdevelopment /

Keynote address at The All-African Student’s Conference, Peter Clark Hall, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, May 27, 1994. It is traditional to declare that I am indeed very happy to be here. I thank the All-African Student’s Conference for inviting me to deliver this Keynote Address at this very important gathering. I am aware

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The World Bank and the Somali Crisis

Africa, Democracy, East Africa, Global Economy, International Relations, Leadership, Political Economy, Politics, Underdevelopment /

Paper prepared for the symposium on “Towards Conflict Resolution in the Horn of Africa,” organized by the African Studies Program, Central Connecticut State university, New Britain, Connecticut, November 19, 1994. The clan system that is embedded in Somali culture is not in itself responsible for the destruction of Somalia: the deliberate policy of exacerbating clan

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