The story of democracy in Africa as a whole has been one of a constant struggle of African peoples against, colonization, tribalism, military dictatorships, one-party rule authoritarianism, imperialism and neo-liberal globalization. (Ake, 2000) This was Ake’s argument in his book The feasibility of democracy in Africa, which meant to showcase that the failure of democracy in the continent was not caused by the peoples lack of will but other external factors. In very few cases in Africa has the transition
Introduction The Federation of Nigeria has never been a homogenous country. Nigeria is a country with a daunting history. On October 1, 1960 the populous country of Nigeria, having the largest landmass of the West African states, gained its independence (Metz, 1991). Nigeria is a country of “great diversity,” due to various amounts of the ethnic groups (See Society and Culture p5).There are more than 250 ethnic groups that are influenced by politics and popularity. Nigeria’s history dates back to
Nigeria: A Country Headed in the Right Direction Imagine throwing several different groups of people, all of whom have nothing in common and all of whom have different beliefs and follow different morals and ideals, and forming one nation out of them. Now, imagine trying to govern this nation as one cohesive unit. This is exactly what Great Britain tried to do in the formation of Nigeria over a period of time spanning from the days of the slave trade until October 1, 1960, when Nigeria eventually
My First Visit to Nigeria In this essay I will reconstruct my first visit to Nigeria. The journey took place when I was seventeen in early 1993, during which time Nigeria was under the military rule of General Sanni Abacha. For the most part of my trip I stayed in Lagos, former capital state and still highly recognised as the commercial capital of Nigeria, although I did visit other parts of the country including Ondo State and Jos. Between this time and the time I left, in early 1994, I experienced
Sani Abacha, “the first Nigerian soldier to make full general without missing a single rank,” was the president of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998 (Sandbrook). Though he helped the country’s economy during his term, Abacha was not concerned by the people’s rights and opinion. Within a year of his presidency, Sani Abacha “issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts, a move that gave him absolute power” (Sandbrook). Even though Abacha was already the most
States, the most populous country in Africa is yet homed the biggest single thief in the world in the 1990s who was almost certainly the late military dictator Sani Abacha, with $12 to $16 billion passing out of Nigeria in corrupt and tax-evading money during his murderous five year regime, most of this to the personal accounts of Abacha and his immediate family members. Offshore banking attracts criminals and opportunist but that does not mean that it is bad in nature, the purpose of offshore banking
Introduction Why do nations fail? This is a topic of popular debate with many economists and a question many scholars have struggled to find an answer to. Global poverty is an issue that economists Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson investigate and provide an alternative insight for in their book: ‘Why Nations Fail’. Acemoglu and Robinson investigate inequalities that exist across countries and why nations are an epitome of success and others, failure. They come up with an alternative explanation
General Muhammed was assassinated on February 13, 1976, Lt. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo became head of state. Seven new states were created in 1976, bringing the total to nineteen. Several military rulers followed, ending with the sudden death of General Sani Abacha in June, 1998. He was succeeded by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who held elections in 1999 leading to the election of Olusegun Obasanjo, who took office in May,
“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray. ' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.” - Desmond Tutu (South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop) This is a simple quote that helps to accurately capture the plight Africa has faced in its dealings with the European nations for the past centuries. The people of the continent may have reclaimed their land but is it truly theirs? Are
If Africa were a pistol, Nigeria will be the trigger. The country is strategically located on the western brink of the black Continent. Nigeria is bordered by the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin Republic on the west and Cameroon on the east. The country’s location has been of immense benefits as it is an action point for the continent. It is also bounded by the Atlantic Ocean making it more accessible for importation and exportation. It also avails it the opportunity of having Islands which have contributed
Nelson Mandela was a leader who was able to make change occur by having self-discipline and an aim for achievement. Not only did he want change so he could live a better life, but he also wanted change for his people. His desire for change and to help others is an example of his personality. Therefore, Mandela’s personality is a perfect example of the conscientiousness factor of the psychological perspective of the Big Five Personality Dimensions developed by Paul Costa and Robert McCrae. Nelson
Chinua Achebe was thirty years old when Nigeria gained its independence from Britain in l960. He had been born on November 16, l930 and named Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. However, two years prior to independence his first novel, Things Fall Apart, was published in l958 and it propelled him along with his nation into the consciousness of the world. Things Fall Apart remains the most widely circulated book in modern African literature. By the time of Achebe’s death on March 21, 2013 he had achieved