The Nigerian State as Obstacle to Federalism: Towards a New Constitutional Compact for Democratic Politics “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 to evolve its own peculiar political institution. The present structure reinforces indigenous colonialism- […]
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Political Violence in a fledgling democracy Professor Julius O. Ihonvbere Text of public lecture delivered under the auspices of THE BREEZE MAGAZINE, Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos March 14, 2003 Mr. Chairman, it is not my intention to speak for too long today. I would prefer to be brief and to leave enough time for discussions
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It is difficult to ascertain when legislatures came into being. I suppose that the difficulty lies in defining what is meant by legislature. In ancient Greece, the people of Athens gathered at the Acropolis, discussed matters affecting Athens and voted on them. Was such behavior legislative? In Igbo land, the entire male citizens above age
Between Policy and Politics: Strategies for Moving Nigeria Forward. Text of Convocation Lecture Delivered at the 13th and 14th Convocation Ceremony of The Federal University of Technology, Akure, October 30, 2002. *Professor Ihonvbere is also Project Director, Constitutionalism in Post-Conflict Societies” Project with the International League for Human Rights in New York; Visiting Professor of
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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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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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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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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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