UNDERSTANDING NIGERIAN DEVELOPMENT CRISIS

OLANREWAJU, JOHN.S (2015) UNDERSTANDING NIGERIAN DEVELOPMENT CRISIS. AFRO ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, VI (1). pp. 1-16. ISSN ISSN: 2229 – 5313

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Development crisis in Nigeria is traceable to the colonial era. Devastating colonial legacies were inherited by the emerging Nigerian elites. The seed of development crisis which has today spread like wildfire in Nigeria was laid during the period of colonialism, the period that was characterized by different crises such as marriage of inconvenience (Amalgamation of 1914), disarticulation of the economy, the colonial economic structure also created a fertile ground for public corruption through the imposition of tax system as well as exploitative scheme of the European that was highly institutionalized, and leadership question in the country. However, Nigeria is one of the countries that has been experiencing violence of various magnitudes such as civil war; coups and counter coups as well as political instability that characterized Nigerian political system since independence. Development crisis in Nigeria has become a recurring phenomenon and despite the atmosphere of crisis created during the colonial era, the leadership problem has become a major issue in the post-colonial Nigeria. The fundamental question is this, since Nigeria’s predicament cannot be attributed to colonialism alone, what are the other factors responsible for the country’s development crisis? In line with this question, this paper examines different development crisis in Nigeria ranging from colonial period to post colonial era. Nigeria’s predicament cannot be absolutely attributed to colonialism alone, the leadership problem and corruption of the highest order that have become Nigerian political culture in the post colonial era will continue to fuel the fire of development crisis and even the recent Boko- Haram insurgency that marked the new phase of development crisis in the country is one of the justification for leadership failure. Keywords: Corruption; Colonialism; Crisis; Decolonization; Development; Nigeria.

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