Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, and Democracy in Nigeria
Title | Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, and Democracy in Nigeria PDF eBook |
Author | Darren Kew |
Publisher | Syracuse University Press |
Total Pages | 450 |
Release | 2016-05-31 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 0815653670 |
African nations have watched the recent civic dramas of the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street asking if they too will see similar civil society actions in their own countries. Nigeria—Africa’s most populous nation—has long enjoyed one of the continent’s most vibrant civil society spheres, which has been instrumental in political change. Initially viewed as contributing to democracy’s development, however, civil society groups have come under increased scrutiny by scholars and policymakers. Do some civil society groups promote democracy more effectively than others? And if so, which ones, and why? By examining the structure, organizational cultures, and methods of more than one hundred Nigerian civil society groups, Kew finds that the groups that best promote democratic development externally are themselves internally democratic. Specifically, the internally democratic civil society groups build more sustainable coalitions to resist authoritarian rule; support and influence political parties more effectively; articulate and promote public interests in a more negotiable fashion; and, most importantly, inculcate democratic norms in their members, which in turn has important democratizing impacts on national political cultures and institutions. Further, internally democratic groups are better able to resolve ethnic differences and ethnic-based tensions than their undemocratically structured peers. This book is a deeply comprehensive account of Nigerian civil society groups in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Kew blends democratic theory with conflict resolution methodologies to argue that the manner in which groups—and states—manage internal conflicts provides an important gauge as to how democratic their political cultures are. The conclusions will allow donors and policymakers to make strategic decisions in their efforts to build a democratic society in Nigeria and other regions.
Civil Society and Ethnic Conflict Management in Nigeria
Title | Civil Society and Ethnic Conflict Management in Nigeria PDF eBook |
Author | Thomas A. Imobighe |
Publisher | |
Total Pages | 352 |
Release | 2003 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN |
This book represents a serious attempt to develop new strategies to manage the ethnic conflicts that continue to undermine Nigeria's efforts at democratic consolidation. Case studies discuss the socio- economic and political dynamics that fuel ethnic conflicts; highlight the limitations to their management; and propose civil society approaches. The book is organised into three parts. The first analyses basic concepts at play, such as ethnicity and ethnic conflict, specifically in the Nigerian context, and against the background of the position of civil society and development in the country. The second part comprises six case studies spread across Nigeria's six geo-political regions. The third section concentrates on the critical issue of civil society empowerment, and proposes ways to enhance its creative participation in the country's development.
Conflict Management in Nigeria
Title | Conflict Management in Nigeria PDF eBook |
Author | Oshita O. Oshita |
Publisher | Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd |
Total Pages | 116 |
Release | 2007-04-20 |
Genre | Reference |
ISBN | 1912234750 |
In Conflict Management in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges, Dr. Oshita O. Oshita, one of the leading peace researchers in Nigeria, interrogates a number of cross-cutting issues and challenges that may be encountered in the process of engaging with conflict mitigation in Nigeria. He explores the complex issues involved just as he analyses the challenges arising from the political economy of conflict management in Nigeria from historical and contemporary perspectives.
The Power of Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa
Title | The Power of Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa PDF eBook |
Author | Ibrahim Natil |
Publisher | Routledge |
Total Pages | 239 |
Release | 2019-05-24 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 0429560028 |
This book investigates the power of civil society in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in the context of the post-Arab Spring era, as well as more long-standing challenges and constraints in the region. In recent years, local civil society actors have faced significant challenges from social conservatism, conflict, violence, and the absence of democracy and exclusive political systems. Over the course of the book, the authors investigate how the sector has succeeded in achieving its own objectives despite these shifting conditions, the restrictive political environment and the complexity of the socio-cultural and economic context. Structured around the three themes of peace-building, development, and change, the book also addresses challenges faced by civil society organizations linked to ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversities as well as religious salient differences that are crucial markers of social and political identity. Case studies are drawn from the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Jordan, Iran, Nigeria, Niger, Egypt, and Morocco, and particular effort has been made to showcase original research from contributors who are from the region . This book will be of particular interest to researchers working on development, peace-building, conflict resolution, civil society, and politics within the MENA region.
West Africa's Trouble Spots and the Imperative for Peace-Building
Title | West Africa's Trouble Spots and the Imperative for Peace-Building PDF eBook |
Author | Osita Agbu |
Publisher | African Books Collective |
Total Pages | 116 |
Release | 2007-10-15 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 2869784244 |
This monograph highlights the necessity for taking preventive measures in the form of peace-building as a sustainable and long-term solution to conflicts in West Africa, with a special focus on the Mano River Union countries. Apart from the Mano River Union countries, efforts at resolving other conflicts in say, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, C?te d'Ivoire and Nigeria, have suffered from a lack of attention on the post-conflict imperatives of building peace in order to ensure that sustainable peace is achieved. Given the often intractable and inter-related nature of conflicts in this region, it argues for the need to revisit the existing mechanisms of conflict resolution in the sub-region with a view to canvassing a stronger case for stakeholders towards adopting the peace-building strategy as a more practical and sustainable way of avoiding wars in the sub-region. Peace-building in consonance with its infrastructure is a more sustainable approach to ensuring regional peace and stability and, therefore, ensuring development for the peoples of West Africa. Dr Osita Agbu is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos. His areas of specialization include Peace and Conflict studies, Governance and Democratization and Technology and Development. He was until recently, a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies, Chiba, Japan.
Stabilizing Nigeria
Title | Stabilizing Nigeria PDF eBook |
Author | Peter Lewis |
Publisher | Council on Foreign Relations |
Total Pages | 186 |
Release | 1998 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9780870784156 |
This book represents the developments of a working group on Nigeria established by the Council on Foreign Relations' Center for Preventive Action. It advocates a strategy of gradual pressure, including some sanctions, incentives in response to positive change, clearer communication of policy goals to the Nigerian government and public, and long-term engagment with Nigerian civil society that will provide the basic underpinning for any genuine transition.
Conflict Resolution, Identity Crisis, and Development in Africa
Title | Conflict Resolution, Identity Crisis, and Development in Africa PDF eBook |
Author | Celestine Oyom Bassey |
Publisher | |
Total Pages | 312 |
Release | 2007 |
Genre | Psychology |
ISBN |
Conflict manifestations and the development crisis in Africa are addressed by contributions from sixteen eminent Nigerian scholars and researchers in policy and strategic studies. The volume addresses the ontological linkage between the prevalent crisis of underdevelopment and political instability in the continent, resulting in mass poverty, stagflation, uneven development, alienation, mounting external debts and periodic outbreak of violence and military coup d'etats. There is a thematic overview, a section on identity crisis, and on conflict resolution and development in Africa. Amongst the issues covered are language, structures of communication, ethnicity, power sharing, culture, epidemiology of convlict and violence in Nigera, political stability, economic development, and a case analysis of the Niger Delta in relation to resources and conflict. Celestine Bassey is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Calabar and currently the Commissioner of Education, Cross River State, Calabar. Oshita Oshita is the director of research and policy analysis at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at The Presidency in Abuja.