State Fragility, State Formation, and Human Security in Nigeria (PDF)

Mike Adeyeye, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Olufemi Akinola, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Dapo F. Asaju, Lagos State University, Nigeria
Harriet S. Asaju, Lagos State University, Nigeria
Ayokunle Fagbemi, Center for Peacebuilding and Socio-Economic Resources Development (CePSERD), Nigeria
Axel Harneit-Sievers, Heinrich Böll Foundation
Olawale Ismail, King's College, London, UK
Ben Naanen, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Fatai A. Olasupo, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Ayo Olukotun, University of Lagos, Nigeria
Adedayo Oluwakayode Adekson, The Great Lakes Colleges Association

'Perceptive and insightful analyses of society's reaction to the structural imbalance of the Nigerian nation-state. Written by astute analysts of Nigerian studies, the chapters contained in this volume are engaging and timely - an important contribution to the study of the Nigerian state and society.' - Olufemi Vaughan, Geoffrey Canada Professor of Africana Studies & History, Bowdoin College, USA

'This fresh perspective on Nigeria's irrepressible socio-political terrain refashions our discourse on the African state, with a crisp but intimately informed exploration of spaces where citizens encounter the fragile state. The authors eschew the hackneyed focus on orthodox nongovernmental organizations, and therefore successfully capture a vibrant landscape of associational formations that are vitally present in everyday life, but neglected in the literature. These self-help organizations, rooted in contexts of region, ethnicity, religion, age, and class are not cast as the new democratic panacea, but they satisfactorily defy notions of citizen passivity and reflect alternative loci for collective voice and critical social action. Okome has provided scholars and practitioners with a provocative framework for understanding and debating the political future.' - Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, Associate Professor of International Politics, Ithaca College, USA