3 - Globalisation, Economic Reforms and Democracy in Nigeria
Corresponding Author(s) : Chuku Umezurike
Africa Development,
Vol. 37 No. 2 (2012): Africa Development
Abstract
This article explores how the forces of globalisation have been undermining democratic struggles in Nigeria, particularly through the economic reforms of the Nigerian state. First, the study involves a theoretical demonstration of these relationships. Second, it notes that the relationships between the forces of globalisation and democracy in Nigeria are largely confrontational. This is the case in so far as preindustrial mercantilism, British colonialism, the current transnational effects of foreign direct investment and the multilateral management of contemporary global order have collectively been undermining the democratic struggles of domestic social forces in Nigeria. The study further establishes that there is largely a supportive and reinforcing relationship between the forces of globalisation and economic reform protocols in Nigeria. It finally suggests that although democratic forces in Nigeria have been inducing economic reforms in the country, reform protocols have been reactionary to the forces of democratisation. An analysis of the various economic reforms in Nigeria as a demonstration of this theoretical framework forms the second broad section of the paper. There is also a categorisation of these reforms into two, namely, those that have inadvertently been pursuing economic nationalism of the Nigerian governing elites and those that have directly been structured and oriented towards advancing market liberalisation and state divestiture. Included in the first category are: indigenisation and Nigerianisation; land use; and reforms for poverty alleviation. In the second category are: austerity measures, structural adjustment programme, privatisation and commercialisation which have been embodied in the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) and also in the current practices, the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) and trade and financial liberalisations orchestrated in SAP and post-SAP engagements. The study finally notes that the democratisation of economic reforms in the developing countries is central to genuine global governance.
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- Aaron, K.K., 2001, ‘Playing Without Kits: Towards a Beneficial Participation of Africa in a Globalized World’, Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria13, pp.1-15.
- Adejumobi, S., 2004, ‘Economic Globalization, Market Reforms and Social Welfare ServicesinWestAfrica’,inAina,T.A.,Chachage, Seithy,Chachage,L.and Annan-Yao, Elisabeth, eds, Globalization and Social Policy in Africa, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Ake, Claude, 1985, Political Economy of Nigeria, London: Longman.
- Ake, Claude, 2003, The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa, Dakar: CODESRIA. Amin, S., 1990, Maldevelopment: Anatomy of Global Failure, London, NJ, and Zed Books.
- Amin, S., 1998, Capitalism in the Age of Globalization, London: Zed Books. Anstey, R., 1975, The Atlantic Slave Trade and British Abolition, London: Macmillan.
- Aribisala, F., 1987 ‘The History of Austerity Measures in Contemporary Nigeria, 1914-84’, in Ofomata, G.E.K. and Ikpeze, N., eds, Austerity and the Nigerian Society, Onitsha: Etukokwu.
- Austen, R., 1987, African Economic History: Internal Development and External Dependence, London: James Currey.
- Asobie, H.A., 1988, ‘Indigenization, Class Formation and Class Struggles in Nigeria:AnAnalysis’,AfricaDevelopment XII(2).
- Asobie, H.A., 2001, ‘Globalization: A View from the South’, Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria 13.
- Black, J., 2002, Oxford Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Blomstrom, M. and Lundahl, M., eds, 1993, Economic Crisis in Africa: Perspectives on Policy Responses, London and New York: Routledge.
- Central Bank of Nigeria, various issues, Annual Reports and Statement of Accounts, Lagos and Abuja: CBN.
- Central Bank of Nigeria, various issues, Economic and Financial Review, Lagos and Abuja: CBN.
- Cheru, F., 1989, The Silent Revolution in Africa: Debt, Development and Democracy, Harare and London: Anvil and Zed Books.
- Ejimofor, C.O., 1987, British Colonial Objectives and Policies in Nigeria: The Roots of Conflict, Onitsha: Africana-Feb.
- Federal Ministry of Information, 1978, Decree No. 6, The Land Use Decree 1978.
- Federal Ministry of Justice, 2002, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Vol.14, A19.
- Federal Ministry of Justice, 2004, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Vol. 18, M10.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1972, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, p. 20.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1990, First National Rolling Plan, Lagos: Planning Office, Federal Ministry of Budget and Planning.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2000, Privatization Handbook, 2nd edition, Abuja: FRN.
- Gibbon, P., ed, 1993, Social Change and Economic Reform in Africa, Uppsala:
- Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies.
- Gibbon, P. and Ponte, S., 2005, Trading Down: Africa, Values Gains, and the Global Economy, Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
- Herbst, J. and Soludo, C. C., 2001, ‘Nigeria’, in Shantayanan, D. et al., eds, Aid and Reforms in Africa: Lessons from Ten Case Studies, Washington D.C.: The World Bank.
- Ibeanu, O.O. and Egwu, S., 2007, Popular Perceptions of Democracy and Political Governance in Nigeria. London, Abuja: Centre for Democracy and Development.
- Keller, W.W. and Pauly, L. W., 1997, ‘Globalization at Bay’, Current History96 (613).
- Khor, M., 2001, Globalization and the South: Some Critical Issues, Ibadan: Spectrum Books.
- Mander, J. and Goldsmith, E., eds, 1996, The Case Against Global Economy and A Turn Towards the Local, San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
- National Bureau for Statistics, various issues, Annual Abstract of Statistics, Abuja: NBS.
- National Centre for Economic Management and Administration, 2004, ‘Understanding Structural Adjustment Programme in Nigeria’, Paper presented at the Workshop on Understanding Reform, New Delhi.
- National Planning Commission, 2004, Meeting Everybody’s NEEDS, Abuja: NPC. National Planning Commission, 2005, National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, (NEEDS), Abuja: NPC.
- National Planning Commission, 2008, Review of Implementation of NEEDS, 2004-2007, Abuja: NPC.
- National Poverty Eradication Programme, 2000, Concepts, Implementation, Coordination and Monitoring, Abuja: NPC.
- National Poverty Eradication Programme, 2001, A Blueprint for the Programmes, Abuja.
- Ndiaye, A.I., 2004, ‘Economic Reforms and Social Policies in Senegal’, in Aina, T. A. et. al, eds, Globalization and Social Policies in Africa, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Nnoli, O., ed,1981, Path to Nigerian Development, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Nnoli, O., ed, 1993, Dead-End to Nigerian Development: An Investigation on the Social, Economic and Political Crisis in Nigeria, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Offiong, D.A., 2001, Globalization, Post-Neocolonialism and Poverty in Africa, Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.
- Olukoshi, A. ed.1993, The Politics of Structural Adjustment in Nigeria, London, James Currey and Heinemann.
- Onimode, B. 1992, A Future for Africa: Beyond the Politics of Adjustment, London: Earthscan Publications.
- Rosenau, J.N. 1997, ‘The Complexities and Contradictions of Globalization’, Current History 96 (613).
- Shaw, T.M., 1993, Reformism and Revisionism in Africa’s Political Economy in the 1990s: The Dialectics of Adjustment, London: The Macmillan Press.
- Strange, S., 1997, ‘The Erosion of the State’, Current History 96 (613).
- Tarp, F., 1993, Stabilization and Structural Adjustment: Macroeconomic Framework for Analyzing the Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, London and New York: Routledge.
- Turner, T., 1981, ‘Nigeria: Imperialism, Oil Technology and the Comprador State’, in Nore, P. and Turner, T., eds, Oil and Class Struggle, London: Zed Press.
- Umezurike, C., 2004, ‘Poverty Reduction and Development in Nigeria: A Political Economy Approach’ Nigerian Journal of Politics and Administration 2 (1).
- Umezurike, C., 2006, ‘Economic Reforms and Democratization in Nigeria: A Historical Overview’, Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Political Science Association held at the University of Port Harcourt, November.
- Umezurike,C., 2008,‘GlobalizationandLabourinAfrica:EthnicIdentityinNigeria, Cross Border Migration in the Republic of South Africa’, Globalizations5(4), pp. 599-619.
- Umezurike, C., 2010, State and Economy in Nigeria: A Study of Democracy and Economic Reforms in the Fourth Republic, Enugu: SNAAP Press Ltd.
- Umezurike, C. and Eboh, E., 1993, ‘The Reform of Parastatals Enterprises in Nigeria’, Research Paper submitted to the West African Economic Association, Abidjan.
- Umezurike, C.and Eboh, E., 1993, ‘The Reform of Parastatals Enterprises in Nigeria’, Research paper submitted to the West African Economic Association, Abidjan.
- Umezurike, C., Aruah, E. O. and Eboh, E., 1996, ‘The Reform of Public Enterprises in Nigeria: A Case Study of Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority’, Working paper (19), NISER/SSCN National Research Network on Liberalization Policies in Nigeria, supported by the International Development Research Center, Canada.
- World Bank, 1981, Accelerated Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Agenda for Action, Washington, D. C.: World Bank.
References
Aaron, K.K., 2001, ‘Playing Without Kits: Towards a Beneficial Participation of Africa in a Globalized World’, Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria13, pp.1-15.
Adejumobi, S., 2004, ‘Economic Globalization, Market Reforms and Social Welfare ServicesinWestAfrica’,inAina,T.A.,Chachage, Seithy,Chachage,L.and Annan-Yao, Elisabeth, eds, Globalization and Social Policy in Africa, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Ake, Claude, 1985, Political Economy of Nigeria, London: Longman.
Ake, Claude, 2003, The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa, Dakar: CODESRIA. Amin, S., 1990, Maldevelopment: Anatomy of Global Failure, London, NJ, and Zed Books.
Amin, S., 1998, Capitalism in the Age of Globalization, London: Zed Books. Anstey, R., 1975, The Atlantic Slave Trade and British Abolition, London: Macmillan.
Aribisala, F., 1987 ‘The History of Austerity Measures in Contemporary Nigeria, 1914-84’, in Ofomata, G.E.K. and Ikpeze, N., eds, Austerity and the Nigerian Society, Onitsha: Etukokwu.
Austen, R., 1987, African Economic History: Internal Development and External Dependence, London: James Currey.
Asobie, H.A., 1988, ‘Indigenization, Class Formation and Class Struggles in Nigeria:AnAnalysis’,AfricaDevelopment XII(2).
Asobie, H.A., 2001, ‘Globalization: A View from the South’, Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria 13.
Black, J., 2002, Oxford Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
Blomstrom, M. and Lundahl, M., eds, 1993, Economic Crisis in Africa: Perspectives on Policy Responses, London and New York: Routledge.
Central Bank of Nigeria, various issues, Annual Reports and Statement of Accounts, Lagos and Abuja: CBN.
Central Bank of Nigeria, various issues, Economic and Financial Review, Lagos and Abuja: CBN.
Cheru, F., 1989, The Silent Revolution in Africa: Debt, Development and Democracy, Harare and London: Anvil and Zed Books.
Ejimofor, C.O., 1987, British Colonial Objectives and Policies in Nigeria: The Roots of Conflict, Onitsha: Africana-Feb.
Federal Ministry of Information, 1978, Decree No. 6, The Land Use Decree 1978.
Federal Ministry of Justice, 2002, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Vol.14, A19.
Federal Ministry of Justice, 2004, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Vol. 18, M10.
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1972, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, p. 20.
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1990, First National Rolling Plan, Lagos: Planning Office, Federal Ministry of Budget and Planning.
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2000, Privatization Handbook, 2nd edition, Abuja: FRN.
Gibbon, P., ed, 1993, Social Change and Economic Reform in Africa, Uppsala:
Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies.
Gibbon, P. and Ponte, S., 2005, Trading Down: Africa, Values Gains, and the Global Economy, Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Herbst, J. and Soludo, C. C., 2001, ‘Nigeria’, in Shantayanan, D. et al., eds, Aid and Reforms in Africa: Lessons from Ten Case Studies, Washington D.C.: The World Bank.
Ibeanu, O.O. and Egwu, S., 2007, Popular Perceptions of Democracy and Political Governance in Nigeria. London, Abuja: Centre for Democracy and Development.
Keller, W.W. and Pauly, L. W., 1997, ‘Globalization at Bay’, Current History96 (613).
Khor, M., 2001, Globalization and the South: Some Critical Issues, Ibadan: Spectrum Books.
Mander, J. and Goldsmith, E., eds, 1996, The Case Against Global Economy and A Turn Towards the Local, San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
National Bureau for Statistics, various issues, Annual Abstract of Statistics, Abuja: NBS.
National Centre for Economic Management and Administration, 2004, ‘Understanding Structural Adjustment Programme in Nigeria’, Paper presented at the Workshop on Understanding Reform, New Delhi.
National Planning Commission, 2004, Meeting Everybody’s NEEDS, Abuja: NPC. National Planning Commission, 2005, National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, (NEEDS), Abuja: NPC.
National Planning Commission, 2008, Review of Implementation of NEEDS, 2004-2007, Abuja: NPC.
National Poverty Eradication Programme, 2000, Concepts, Implementation, Coordination and Monitoring, Abuja: NPC.
National Poverty Eradication Programme, 2001, A Blueprint for the Programmes, Abuja.
Ndiaye, A.I., 2004, ‘Economic Reforms and Social Policies in Senegal’, in Aina, T. A. et. al, eds, Globalization and Social Policies in Africa, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Nnoli, O., ed,1981, Path to Nigerian Development, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Nnoli, O., ed, 1993, Dead-End to Nigerian Development: An Investigation on the Social, Economic and Political Crisis in Nigeria, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Offiong, D.A., 2001, Globalization, Post-Neocolonialism and Poverty in Africa, Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.
Olukoshi, A. ed.1993, The Politics of Structural Adjustment in Nigeria, London, James Currey and Heinemann.
Onimode, B. 1992, A Future for Africa: Beyond the Politics of Adjustment, London: Earthscan Publications.
Rosenau, J.N. 1997, ‘The Complexities and Contradictions of Globalization’, Current History 96 (613).
Shaw, T.M., 1993, Reformism and Revisionism in Africa’s Political Economy in the 1990s: The Dialectics of Adjustment, London: The Macmillan Press.
Strange, S., 1997, ‘The Erosion of the State’, Current History 96 (613).
Tarp, F., 1993, Stabilization and Structural Adjustment: Macroeconomic Framework for Analyzing the Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, London and New York: Routledge.
Turner, T., 1981, ‘Nigeria: Imperialism, Oil Technology and the Comprador State’, in Nore, P. and Turner, T., eds, Oil and Class Struggle, London: Zed Press.
Umezurike, C., 2004, ‘Poverty Reduction and Development in Nigeria: A Political Economy Approach’ Nigerian Journal of Politics and Administration 2 (1).
Umezurike, C., 2006, ‘Economic Reforms and Democratization in Nigeria: A Historical Overview’, Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Political Science Association held at the University of Port Harcourt, November.
Umezurike,C., 2008,‘GlobalizationandLabourinAfrica:EthnicIdentityinNigeria, Cross Border Migration in the Republic of South Africa’, Globalizations5(4), pp. 599-619.
Umezurike, C., 2010, State and Economy in Nigeria: A Study of Democracy and Economic Reforms in the Fourth Republic, Enugu: SNAAP Press Ltd.
Umezurike, C. and Eboh, E., 1993, ‘The Reform of Parastatals Enterprises in Nigeria’, Research Paper submitted to the West African Economic Association, Abidjan.
Umezurike, C.and Eboh, E., 1993, ‘The Reform of Parastatals Enterprises in Nigeria’, Research paper submitted to the West African Economic Association, Abidjan.
Umezurike, C., Aruah, E. O. and Eboh, E., 1996, ‘The Reform of Public Enterprises in Nigeria: A Case Study of Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority’, Working paper (19), NISER/SSCN National Research Network on Liberalization Policies in Nigeria, supported by the International Development Research Center, Canada.
World Bank, 1981, Accelerated Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Agenda for Action, Washington, D. C.: World Bank.