This book offers a comprehensive, research-driven analysis of the persistent economic underdevelopment in Africa, with Nigeria as a central case study. It argues that Nigeria’s failure to achieve sustained growth stems from weak social institutions, corrupt governance, and mismanagement of resources—issues common across the continent, though shaped by local contexts. The book contrasts these challenges with successful development strategies in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the importance of foundational institutions. Early chapters trace Nigeria’s institutional decline since independence, highlighting systemic barriers to progress despite abundant natural and human resources. Later sections critique widely accepted growth models—especially the overreliance on foreign direct investment—as…
Author: CASADE
Eweche Ajefu* Nigeria would soon witness high speed Internet connectivity like never before as Casade Defence Systems, a Nigeria firm and Viettel High Technology, a Vietnam Company have entered into a ground-breaking partnership to introduce Viettel 5G Private Network in the Country. Speaking to newsmen in Abuja after the signing ceremony of the partnership in Vietnam, President of the Casade Defence Systems, Professor John Ifediora noted that the Viettel 5G Private Network has a powerful presence in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries, adding that the cutting-edge technology is set to go global, with a special focus on Africa where…
John O. Ifediora Zambians woke up last week to the sight of Chinese nationals in Zambian police uniforms in their capital city of Lusaka. The eight Chines nationals were enlisted as reserve officers in the Zambian police force with powers to detain and arrest. The awkwardness of the optics was not lost on onlookers; first a spectacle of amusement, and then one of anger and outcry as the implications of what was being observed were gradually absorbed. The country’s Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kakoma Kanganja, in a futile effort to calm frayed nerves, issued a statement that the appointments…
John O. Ifediora A common argument adduced in defense of Africa’s abysmal development pattern or lack of it is that African policy makers lack the will and dedication essential to craft and assiduously implement well-recognized socio-economic vectors that other countries in the West and South-East Asia have cleverly adopted to spur development. In the case of Nigeria, critics point to the fact that in 1960 South Korea and Nigeria had comparable levels of national income or parity in Gross Domestic Product. From this base level, it is then extrapolated to the present differential in economic performance by both countries and…
Female genital circumcision is a procedure that requires the excision of some tissues that form the female genitalia. It is an old tradition that exists predominantly in Africa, and has, of late, become a very contentious and controversial issue in the international community. There are various grounds for this controversy, one of which is the contention by rights advocates that female circumcision is gratuitous violence against women in the form genital mutilation, and should be abolished. Cultural relativists counter that female circumcision is a traditional ritual that defines cultural identity, and hence outside the competence of international bodies with Western liberal sensibilities. This work examines female genital circumcision as practiced in Africa, and its legitimacy within the context of modern human rights regime. My method of inquiry consists of a thematic analysis of this practice as it touches on United Nations’ conventions, and an ethnographic approach that seeks meaning through interpretation of cultural observances.
Prof. Mike A.A. Ozekhome removes doubt on what the Nigerian constitution requires for a presidential candidate to ascend to the highest political office in the country. We agree. Here is an excerpt of his analysis. *By Prof. Mike A.A. Ozekhome, SAN, CON, OFR, FCIArb, LL.M, Ph.D., LL.D, D.Litt.*My simple take on this is that when a debate on a serious controversial national issue gets to a crescendo such as we now have it, various dimensions of and opinions on the issue under discourse must be vigorously pursued, explored and interrogated. Consequently, as regards this raging ruckus and scrimmage as to…
John O. Ifediora @ifediora_john. All political dynasties eventually fail, but their demise come much quicker if the reasons for their being are no longer in consonant with extant social sensibilities of the electorate. The histories of nation-states are replete with the natural death of moribund political institutions too feckless and spent to serve the needs of a progressively sophisticated citizenry. The two major parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP, a political duopoly that interchangeably misruled the affairs of Nigerians beginning in 1999, are now forced to take stock of what they have done to and for the country, but more…
John O. Ifediora @ifediora_john All political dynasties eventually fail, but their demise come much quicker if the reasons for their being are no longer in consonant with extant social sensibilities of the electorate. The histories of nation-states are replete with the natural death of moribund political institutions too feckless and spent to serve the needs of a progressively sophisticated citizenry. The two major parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP, a political duopoly that interchangeably misruled the affairs of Nigerians beginning in 1999, are now forced to take stock of what they have done to and for the country, but more…
John O. Ifediora Editorial commentary @Ifediora_john February 25, 2023 marks a fork in the road for Nigeria and its inhabitants of unknown number…the boarders are too porous for an informed estimation or reasoned statistical extrapolation. But by all accounts, it is a large number, and collectively operates the largest market for consumer goods in Africa and exports a significant fraction of fossil fuels that drive the global economy. These alone give Nigeria a global presence, hence what it does matters. But the country’s history of unrealized potential and a battered global image of its citizens have not been salutary to…