2 - Recontextualisation of the Concept of Godfatherism: Reflections on Nigeria
Corresponding Author(s) : Ifeanyi Onwuzuruigbo
Africa Development,
Vol. 38 No. 1-2 (2013): Africa Development
Abstract
Social exchange relations have economic, religious, moral and political implications for both dyadic and group relations. Consequently, some social scientists deploy social exchange theory to explain human actions, behaviour and institutions. The concept of godfatherism, as a form of exchange and clientelist relation, has characterized social, political, religious and commercial networks of indigenous Nigerian groups since pre-colonial times. Recent commentaries and analysis of godfatherism, however, erroneously portray the phenomenon as a new form of political interaction, encouraging electoral fraud, promoting intra-party and political conflicts, and consequently stifling the consolidation of Nigeria’s extant democracy. This superficial treatment of godfatherism, which presents it in a negative image, has proceeded without emphasizing the socio-cultural origin of the concept and its contribution to the political and commercial growth of pre- colonial societies. The paper re-contextualizes the concept of godfatherism. It captures the positive contributions of godfatherism in entrenching responsive and responsible leadership and promoting development. It also considers the distortions the concept suffered as it evolved from a form of social exchange to a form of political relationship, encouraging political conflicts and corruption in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria.
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- Adebanjo, A., 2003, ‘The Godfathers’ Red Card’, Tell, July.
- Adetula, V., 2005, ‘Ethnicity and the Dynamics of City Politics’, in A. Simone and A. Abouhani, eds., Urban Africa: Changing Contours of Survival in the City, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 206-234.
- Adewuyi, S., 1998, ‘Sociocultural Determinants of Street-begging in Northern Nigeria: The Case of Sokoto’, unpublished Ph.D Thesis, University of Ibadan. Afigbo, A., 1972, Warrant Chiefs: Indirect Rule in Southeastern Nigeria 1891-1929, London: Longman.
- Aiyetan, D., 2003, ‘Governor by Proxy’, Tell, July.
- Ajayi, A., 1985, ‘Factors in the Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria’ in A. Ajayi and B. Ikara, eds., Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria, Ibadan: University Press, pp. 10-17.
- Ake, C., 1985, ‘The Nigeria State: Antinomies of a Peripheral Formation’ in C. Ake, ed., Political Economy of Nigeria, Lagos: Longman, pp. 9-32.
- Albert, O., 2005, ‘Explaining ‘Godfatherism’ in Nigerian Politics’, African Sociological Review, 9 (2): 79-105.
- Albert, O., 2006, ‘Cost of Prebendal Politics: “Godfatherism” and Intractability of Post Election Crisis in Nigeria since the 1999 “Democratic Transition”’, Paper presented at the Nordic African Institute Conference on Post-Conflict Elections in West Africa held in Accra, Ghana, 15-17th May.
- Atanda, J., 1985, ‘Collision and Coalition in the Politics and Society of Western Nigeria in the Nigeria’, in A. Ajayi and B. Ikara eds., Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria, Ibadan: University Press, pp. 85-100.
- Awe, B., 1964, ‘The Rise of Ibadan as a Yoruba Power in the Nineteenth Century’, unpublished D. Phil. Thesis, Somerville College, University of Oxford. Awolowo, O., 1982, My Early Life, Ikeja Lagos: John West Publications Limited. Ayoade, J., 2008, ‘Godfather Politics in Nigeria’, in V. Adetula, ed., Money and Politics in Nigeria, Abuja: International Foundation for Electoral System
- (IFES), pp. 85-96.
- Barnes, T., 1986, Patrons and Power: Creating a Political Community in Metropolitan Lagos, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Berman, B., 1998, ‘Ethnicity, Patronage and the African State: The Politics of Uncivil Nationalism’, African Affairs, 97 (388): 305-41.
- Berman B., 2004, ‘Ethnicity, Bureaucracy and Democracy: The Politics of Trust’, in B. Berman, D. Eyo and W. Kymlicka, eds., Ethnicity and Democracy in Africa, Oxford: James Currey, pp. 38-53.
- Falola, T., 1985, ‘The Political System of Ibadan in the 19th Century’, in A. Ajayi and B. Ikara, eds., Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria, Ibadan: University Press, pp. 104-117.
- Feinstein, A., 1987, African Revolutionary: The Life and Times of Nigeria’s Aminu Kano, Enugu: Fourth Dimension.
- Human Rights Watch, 2007, ‘Criminal Politics: Violence, “Godfather” and Corruption in Nigeria’, Vol. 19, No 16(A), New York: Human Rights Watch.
- Isichei, E., 1976, A History of the Igbo People, London: Macmillan Press. Joseph, R., 1991, Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria: The Rise and Fall of Second Republic, Ibadan: Spectrum.
- Komter, A., 2007, ‘Gifts and Social Relations: The Mechanisms of Reciprocity’, International Sociology, 22 (1): 93-108.
- Lemarchand R., 1972, ‘Political Clientelism and Ethnicity in Tropical Africa: Competing Solidarities in Nation-Building’, American Political Science Review, 66 (1): 68-90.
- Lemarchand, R and Legg, K., 1972, ‘Political Clientelism and Development: A Preliminary Analysis’, Comparative Politics, 4 (2): 149-178.
- Lemarchand, R., 1998, ‘The State, the Parallel Economy and the Changing Structure of the Patronage System’, in D. Rothchild and N. Chazan, eds., The Precarious Balance: State and Society in Africa, Boulder CO and London: Lynne Rienner pp. 150-1.
- Machiavelli, N., 2003, The Prince, London: Penguin.
- Makwuzi, M. and Aham, U., 2003, ‘The Making of a Coup Plotter: The Childhood Story of Chris Uba, His Rise to Fame, His Stupendous Wealth and now His Coup’, The News, July.
- Nnamani, C., 2006, ‘The Godfather Phenomenon in Democratic Nigeria: Silicon or Real’, The News, January.
- Nnoli, O., 1978, Ethnic Politics in Nigeria, Enugu: Fourth Dimension.
- Njoku, U., 2005, ‘Colonial Political Engineering and the Genesis of Modern Corruption in African Public Service: The issue of Warrant Chiefs of Southeastern Nigeria as a Case in Point’, Nordic Journal of African Studies, 14 (1): 99-116.
- Nwana, P., 1976, Omenuko, Ibadan: Longman Nigeria Limited.
- O’Hear, A., 1986, ‘Political and Commercial Clientage in Nineteenth Century Ilorin’, African Economic History, 15: 69-83.
- Ohadike, D., 1994, Anioma: A Social History of the Western Igbo People, Athens: Ohio University Press.
- Omobowale, A. and Olutayo, A., 2007, ‘Chief Lamidi Adedibu and Patronage Politics in Nigeria’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 45 (3): 425-446.
- Omotola, J., 2007, ‘Godfathers and the 2007 Nigerian general Elections’, Journal of African Elections, 6 (2): 134 -154.
- Onwuzuruigbo, I., 2006, ‘Electoral Democracy in Nigeria: The Political Godfather, the Godson and the Party’, Paper presented at the Nordic African Institute Conference on Post-Conflict Elections in West Africa held in Accra, Ghana, 15-17th May.
- Osoba, S., 1996, ‘Corruption in Nigeria: A Historical Perspective’, Review of African Political Economy, 69 (23): 371-386.
- Paden, J., 1986, Ahmadu Bello: The Sarduana of Sokoto, Zaria: Hudahuda Publishing Company.
- Scott, J., 1972, ‘Patron-Client Politics and Political Change in Southeast Asia’, American Political Science Review, 66 (1): 91-113.
- Scott, J. and Marshall, G., 2005, Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Shenton, R., 1986, The Development of Capitalism in Northern Nigeria, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- Smith, M., 1960, Government in Zauzzau, 1800-1950, London: Oxford University Press.
- Tibenderana, P., 1989, ‘British Administration and the Decline of the Patronage- Clientage System in Northwestern Nigeria’, 1900-1934’, African Studies Review, 32 (1): 71-95.
- Tignor, R., 1993, ‘Political Corruption in Nigeria before Independence’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 31 (2): 175-202.
- Uzoigwe, G. 2006. ‘Evolution and Relevance of Autonomous Communities in Pre- colonial Igboland’, Journal of Third World Studies, XX1 (1): 139-150.
References
Adebanjo, A., 2003, ‘The Godfathers’ Red Card’, Tell, July.
Adetula, V., 2005, ‘Ethnicity and the Dynamics of City Politics’, in A. Simone and A. Abouhani, eds., Urban Africa: Changing Contours of Survival in the City, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 206-234.
Adewuyi, S., 1998, ‘Sociocultural Determinants of Street-begging in Northern Nigeria: The Case of Sokoto’, unpublished Ph.D Thesis, University of Ibadan. Afigbo, A., 1972, Warrant Chiefs: Indirect Rule in Southeastern Nigeria 1891-1929, London: Longman.
Aiyetan, D., 2003, ‘Governor by Proxy’, Tell, July.
Ajayi, A., 1985, ‘Factors in the Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria’ in A. Ajayi and B. Ikara, eds., Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria, Ibadan: University Press, pp. 10-17.
Ake, C., 1985, ‘The Nigeria State: Antinomies of a Peripheral Formation’ in C. Ake, ed., Political Economy of Nigeria, Lagos: Longman, pp. 9-32.
Albert, O., 2005, ‘Explaining ‘Godfatherism’ in Nigerian Politics’, African Sociological Review, 9 (2): 79-105.
Albert, O., 2006, ‘Cost of Prebendal Politics: “Godfatherism” and Intractability of Post Election Crisis in Nigeria since the 1999 “Democratic Transition”’, Paper presented at the Nordic African Institute Conference on Post-Conflict Elections in West Africa held in Accra, Ghana, 15-17th May.
Atanda, J., 1985, ‘Collision and Coalition in the Politics and Society of Western Nigeria in the Nigeria’, in A. Ajayi and B. Ikara eds., Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria, Ibadan: University Press, pp. 85-100.
Awe, B., 1964, ‘The Rise of Ibadan as a Yoruba Power in the Nineteenth Century’, unpublished D. Phil. Thesis, Somerville College, University of Oxford. Awolowo, O., 1982, My Early Life, Ikeja Lagos: John West Publications Limited. Ayoade, J., 2008, ‘Godfather Politics in Nigeria’, in V. Adetula, ed., Money and Politics in Nigeria, Abuja: International Foundation for Electoral System
(IFES), pp. 85-96.
Barnes, T., 1986, Patrons and Power: Creating a Political Community in Metropolitan Lagos, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Berman, B., 1998, ‘Ethnicity, Patronage and the African State: The Politics of Uncivil Nationalism’, African Affairs, 97 (388): 305-41.
Berman B., 2004, ‘Ethnicity, Bureaucracy and Democracy: The Politics of Trust’, in B. Berman, D. Eyo and W. Kymlicka, eds., Ethnicity and Democracy in Africa, Oxford: James Currey, pp. 38-53.
Falola, T., 1985, ‘The Political System of Ibadan in the 19th Century’, in A. Ajayi and B. Ikara, eds., Evolution of Political Culture in Nigeria, Ibadan: University Press, pp. 104-117.
Feinstein, A., 1987, African Revolutionary: The Life and Times of Nigeria’s Aminu Kano, Enugu: Fourth Dimension.
Human Rights Watch, 2007, ‘Criminal Politics: Violence, “Godfather” and Corruption in Nigeria’, Vol. 19, No 16(A), New York: Human Rights Watch.
Isichei, E., 1976, A History of the Igbo People, London: Macmillan Press. Joseph, R., 1991, Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria: The Rise and Fall of Second Republic, Ibadan: Spectrum.
Komter, A., 2007, ‘Gifts and Social Relations: The Mechanisms of Reciprocity’, International Sociology, 22 (1): 93-108.
Lemarchand R., 1972, ‘Political Clientelism and Ethnicity in Tropical Africa: Competing Solidarities in Nation-Building’, American Political Science Review, 66 (1): 68-90.
Lemarchand, R and Legg, K., 1972, ‘Political Clientelism and Development: A Preliminary Analysis’, Comparative Politics, 4 (2): 149-178.
Lemarchand, R., 1998, ‘The State, the Parallel Economy and the Changing Structure of the Patronage System’, in D. Rothchild and N. Chazan, eds., The Precarious Balance: State and Society in Africa, Boulder CO and London: Lynne Rienner pp. 150-1.
Machiavelli, N., 2003, The Prince, London: Penguin.
Makwuzi, M. and Aham, U., 2003, ‘The Making of a Coup Plotter: The Childhood Story of Chris Uba, His Rise to Fame, His Stupendous Wealth and now His Coup’, The News, July.
Nnamani, C., 2006, ‘The Godfather Phenomenon in Democratic Nigeria: Silicon or Real’, The News, January.
Nnoli, O., 1978, Ethnic Politics in Nigeria, Enugu: Fourth Dimension.
Njoku, U., 2005, ‘Colonial Political Engineering and the Genesis of Modern Corruption in African Public Service: The issue of Warrant Chiefs of Southeastern Nigeria as a Case in Point’, Nordic Journal of African Studies, 14 (1): 99-116.
Nwana, P., 1976, Omenuko, Ibadan: Longman Nigeria Limited.
O’Hear, A., 1986, ‘Political and Commercial Clientage in Nineteenth Century Ilorin’, African Economic History, 15: 69-83.
Ohadike, D., 1994, Anioma: A Social History of the Western Igbo People, Athens: Ohio University Press.
Omobowale, A. and Olutayo, A., 2007, ‘Chief Lamidi Adedibu and Patronage Politics in Nigeria’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 45 (3): 425-446.
Omotola, J., 2007, ‘Godfathers and the 2007 Nigerian general Elections’, Journal of African Elections, 6 (2): 134 -154.
Onwuzuruigbo, I., 2006, ‘Electoral Democracy in Nigeria: The Political Godfather, the Godson and the Party’, Paper presented at the Nordic African Institute Conference on Post-Conflict Elections in West Africa held in Accra, Ghana, 15-17th May.
Osoba, S., 1996, ‘Corruption in Nigeria: A Historical Perspective’, Review of African Political Economy, 69 (23): 371-386.
Paden, J., 1986, Ahmadu Bello: The Sarduana of Sokoto, Zaria: Hudahuda Publishing Company.
Scott, J., 1972, ‘Patron-Client Politics and Political Change in Southeast Asia’, American Political Science Review, 66 (1): 91-113.
Scott, J. and Marshall, G., 2005, Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shenton, R., 1986, The Development of Capitalism in Northern Nigeria, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Smith, M., 1960, Government in Zauzzau, 1800-1950, London: Oxford University Press.
Tibenderana, P., 1989, ‘British Administration and the Decline of the Patronage- Clientage System in Northwestern Nigeria’, 1900-1934’, African Studies Review, 32 (1): 71-95.
Tignor, R., 1993, ‘Political Corruption in Nigeria before Independence’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 31 (2): 175-202.
Uzoigwe, G. 2006. ‘Evolution and Relevance of Autonomous Communities in Pre- colonial Igboland’, Journal of Third World Studies, XX1 (1): 139-150.