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A story of the miners who profoundly shaped the process of production, and the rhythms and culture of work and resistance at the Enugu colliery in Nigeria. The author draws comparisons between the experiences of the Enugu miners and their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and northern England. ... Read more

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An analysis of the Gowon and Muhammed/Obasanjo regimes in Nigeria. The book arose from debates in Nigeria's academic circles in the late 1970s on Nigeria's foreign policy under the two military regimes that preceded the second republic, with special emphasis on the question of whether Nigeria's foreign policy under the Muhammed/Obasanjo regime represented a continuation of or change from that of its predecessor, the Gowon regime. ... Read more

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As the most populous country in Africa and a major oil producer, Nigeria has long been recognized as the dominant force in West Africa. But its standing within the broader international arena, especially its comparative position within the Muslim world, has been less well understood. Indeed, does Nigeria's influence extend beyond the region?

In this concise volume, John N. Paden answers this very question, contending that Nigeria is globally significant for a multitude of reasons, not least of which for the political resiliency it has demonstrated despite its complex ethnolinguistic and religious diversity. He argues that Nigeria, with a population that is almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, could serve uniquely as a model for interreligious political accommodation and as a bridging actor in global politics between the West and the Muslim world. He concludes by calling on the United States to formulate better engagement strategies in the region and to support Nigeria’s political resilience by strengthening social, cultural, and economic ties, and by showing greater understanding and diplomatic tolerance toward the country.

Faith and Politics in Nigeria offers timely, clear, and astute analysis that will be valued by students and scholars of Islamic and African studies and provides keen recommendations for policymakers and conflict-management practitioners.
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Proposing a model for other Islamic countries to follow
A 'madrassah' is an Islamic religious school dedicated to teaching literacy and the Koran to the youth and adults of an Islamic community. Under the influence and control of militant Islamic fundamentalists, the community madrassah has been corrupted to incorporate the inculcation of violence against non-Islamic targets, as well as those elements of the Islamic community whom militant fundamentalism have declared to be heretical and illegitimate. Formerly a member of the Center for conflict Analysis and Prevention of the United States Institute of Peace, and currently a senior political scientist with the RAND Corporation, C. Christine Fair has compiled an analytical survey, "The Madrassah Challenge: Militancy And Religious Education In Pakistan" as the newest addition to the United States Institute of Peace Press' 'Perspectives Series" and has as her principle focus the use of these Islamic schools as incubators of Pakistan-based militants, the Pakistani government's efforts to deal with them, and the American foreign policy implications with respect to the arising concern about the use of the madrassah as a recruiting ground for Islamic terrorism. Insightful, thoughtful, informed and informative, "The Madrassah Challenge" is an important contribution to the national and international dialogue with respect to militant Islamic terrorism today.
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Readable, rich with privileged information
Very readable account. This sympathetic book, My Nigeria: Five Decades of Independence is in sharp contrast in tone from the more-or-less equally revealing but ominous book on the Nigerian condition by Karl Maier a few years ago. The delivery of My Nigeria is a compassionate one from a competent literary hand. Where Maier's otherwise well-written work is judgmental in his title and theme with a uniformly tragic tone apparently deduced from the din of the hectically paced nation before him, Peter Cunliffe-Jones's My Nigeria makes a correspondingly mordant case about the country, but on balance in a sympathetic but firm and insightful way.
The author, a journalist with the news agency, Agence France Presse seems to adroitly weave two strands of narrative into thesupple tapestry that is the Nigeria social fabric. This he does in crisp and yet flowery cadences that make the book hard to put down. His apparent first goal seems an innately personal journey, to give something back to the country, and the continent, that lost so much from the encounter with their erstwhile colonizing masters - a pillage in which he deftly shows his forebears as foot-soldiers to different degree. The second strand in the account is the downright journalistic grunt of his sheer hard work to document, report and graphically reveal the state of the previously promising fledgling nation(reflected in his own affectionate title: My Nigeria), and to narrate the cesspool corruption and incompetence have conspired to make it today.
His journalist pedigree is evident in his handle of the history of the peoples. The scope covers the timeline of the region from its ancient primitive pre-dawn of recorded history, through the coalescing of the wanderinghunter-gatherers into various nation-building polities, to the advent of Europeans and the attendant rupture in the cultural fabric and the natural political evolution of the various peoples - an existential process that eventually saw the British empire presiding over the upshot, with its amalgamation of remarkably contrasting peoples into one fledgling nation-state, which it , in short order handed over to unprepared hands with no prior try of the democratic process they are to go by. As the saying goes, the rest is history: the unfolding of which Cunliffe-Jones has deployed the power of his journalistic pen on the fluid and thrilling pages of the book, showing the dynamics that shapes the intractable problems that has dogged the country from its official inception 50 years ago: tribal identity, crude oil, incompetence and corruption, and a citizenry passive to the incompetence of its leaders.
Giving the account a unique perspective is no doubt the author's access to privileged information as much as the grunt of his journalist prowess in research. From the insight of the diaries of his grandfather, Hugo Marshall, who was the first lieutenant-governor of the most important region at the dawn of the country, we are treated with revealing private thoughts of this stalwart of colonial power of the time. We also glean a perspective afforded by ties to an earlier forebear, Edward Burns, an actual foot-soldier in the gun-to-the head vigilante campaignthat bequeathed title and authority of African landsin the "treaties" so obtained to one of the European powers.
Hence, we are treated with a graphic view of the drama of the hectic, uneasy grafting of the south and north territories of the Niger area, despite their rather markedly disparate cultures and traditions that had hitherto evolved distinctly. With not much time for subsequent nation-building before historical factors forced the hands of the British empire to fledge its new progeny to be on its own. A gripping read indeed.
The realism of the prose is enlivened with numerous informal and formal interviews of ordinary folks as well as powerful ones. Particulaly riveting is how he deftly illustrates the opportunism of many ersatz Nigerian leaders, the various kick-back nouveau-riche governors and the crude-oil millionaires who are actual unlikely players in various self-enrichment schemes at the expense of the electorates.
In all, rather than kill his subject with kindness though, or to come to rash conclusion about the state of the nascent nation, he deftly balances the account by graphically delivering the story with a show-but- not-tell method, making the problems and their origin manifest for the reader discernment. The inadequacy of the leadership as well as the passivity of the citizenry is made more palpable when stood in comparison to Indonesia, a country with which Nigeria share the same multicultural diversity, colonial experience and squalor 50 years ago. While the former has since made good on various measures, the latter shrivels in an alarming way. Some indictment.
However, on the apparent original motivation for some kind of self-atonement or palliative restitution by a benevolent descendant of those pivotal men in the history visited upon Africa, the author deserves our compliment, above all for his steadfastness in putting the book together in spite of near-death experiences in the process, from armed robbers , malaria fever among other social pathologies of Nigeria.
The handy bibliography at the of the book, should be informative to many Nigerians about what they otherwise do not know about their own national history, so much so that some may hopefully find in it a springboard for embarking on more serious and dispassionate study about how the country got this way. The quaint and helpful photos included are worthy -- in some cases, more than the many words in the book they aptly compliment, in shedding the light on the colonial ambiance of the era. Although, it would have been more helpful for the author to throw in a map or two, to help those not familiar with that part of the world have a better grasp.
As for the atonement thing, it is doubtful if the magnanimity of his journalist friend who casually brushed off the author's reasoned inherited remorse (by unilaterally declaring the responsibility being squarely Nigerians' now) really means much. The contrast in their perspectives on this third arrival itself perhaps mirrors their epistemologies on the gravity of history. And perhaps the overall judgment for the work of this traveler of conscience is best left to posterity and to the author's conscience.
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Nigeria’s grand democratic experiment is sure to resonate internationally.In this original and informative book, John N. Paden delivers a timely analysis of how Muslim civic cultures respond to conflict mediation and resolution, placing his inquiry within the historical context of Nigeria’s evolution as an independent state.Home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, this oil-rich nation serves as an important case study in reconciling democratic rule with local Muslim traditions.Since returning to democratic governance in 1999 after fifteen years of martial law, Nigeria has begun the difficult process of establishing a rule of law sensitive to local traditions, including the re-adoption of shari’a criminal law in the twelve far northern states of Sunni and Maliki heritage.Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution explores Nigerian Muslim values, identities, and practices before expanding on the challenges of democratic federalism in a state defined by its multireligious and devout populace.A tenuous relationship between federal officials and local leaders currently shapes the landscape of Nigeria’s efforts to build a stable democracy.Internationally, the viability of this type of governance is of significant import—particularly in the war against terror.As the seventh-largest oil producer in the world, and with considerable military capabilities, Nigeria is a linchpin of future global stability.Paden calls for increased cultural understanding and sensitivity for a more constructive engagement with the Arab and non-Arab Muslim world.The experience of Nigeria provides essential insight into the challenges facing a global community seeking to promote peace and prosperity. ... Read more

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This is a timely book on political transition to civil rule in Nigeria.The socio-political and economic ramifications of the transfer of power to an elected civilian administration and the political chaos resulting from the continued uncertainties surrounding the transition program are examined. Some of the topics which are touched upon are the relationship between the state, capital accumulation, democratic forces, the characteristic political manipulation by the military and the attempt to hold on to power despite demand for civilian democratic rule, the problem of military intervention to the question of national integration, and the core problems of Nigerian economic management and the alternatives for effective management of the Nigerian economy in the Third Republic. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2006. The length of the article is 7271 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Nigeria in political transition.(CRS Report for Congress: Received through the CRS Web)
Author: Ted Dagne
Publication: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs (Report)
Date: July 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

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"Well-researched, well-written with its richly textured and nuanced analysis, it is the first study to attempt a general and cohesive overview of the connections between violence and imperialism in colonial Nigeria." -- Funso Afolayan, University of New Hampshire

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"Crippled Giant is an excellent summary of Nigerian political history.... The work is notable for even-handed analysis of both history and theory. The result is an introduction of the highest quality to the study of Nigerian politics." -- African Studies Review

"Osaghae, an academic with a refreshingly neutral and understated approach to the maddening follies of his government, has produced a highly readable overview of Nigeria's politics, economy, and foreign relations. Rich in detail, his account is also a useful tour of earlier thematic treatments of the subject." -- Foreign Affairs

"... well-written, coherent narrative and thoughtful, balanced analysis of Nigeria's political history from 1960 to 1996."  -- A. H. M. Kirk-Greene, St. Antony's College, Oxford

Eghosa Osaghae's study leads him to the conclusion that Nigeria's problems are not of recent making but can be traced to structural impediments from colonial times.

Customer Reviews (2)

A Detailed Analysis of Post-Independence Nigeria
Eghosa Osaghae recounts and analyzes the social, economic, and political spheres of post-independence Nigeria in 'Crippled Giant'. Osaghae's work is well-researched, his narrative well-reasoned. Anyone who wishes to understand Nigeria's current situation will do well to fully understand the country's contextual background, and Osaghae's book provides just that background. The book covers the period from independence through Abacha's regime, from the perspective of each regime's internal (economic and political) and foreign policy. Readers interested in analyses of the post-Abacha transition to civil rule and the subsequent civilian dispensation will need to look elsewhere. Overall, 'Crippled Giant' is a must-read for all Nigerians, as well as for others interested in learning about Nigeria's travail.

Excellent Resource
Any scholar of Nigeria or anyone interested in post-independence history of Nigeria should have this on their bookshelf. It's detailed, succinct, well-organized and well-researched. I refer to it all the time. ... Read more

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A journey into contemporary Africa's most powerful and most corrupt nation.

To understand Africa, one must understand Nigeria, and few Americans understand Nigeria better than Karl Maier. This House Has Fallen is a bracing and disturbing report on the state of Africa's most populous, potentially richest, and most dangerously dysfunctional nation.

Each year, with depressing consistency, Nigeria is declared the most corrupt state in the entire world. Though Nigeria is a nation into which billions of dollars of oil money flow, its per capita income has fallen dramatically in the past two decades. Military coup follows military coup. A bellwether for Africa, it is a country of rising ethnic tensions and falling standards of living, very possibly on the verge of utter collapse -- a collapse that could dramatically overshadow even the massacres in Rwanda.

A brilliant piece of reportage and travel writing, This House Has Fallen looks into the Nigerian abyss and comes away with insight, profound conclusions, and even some hope. Updated with a new preface by the author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Terrible
I hated this book for a variety of reasons.First of all, no one who has any real appreciation of Nigeria's rich and diverse culture, history, literature, music, etc., will be even mildly convinced that this man knows the first thing about the people and the country about which he decided to write this wretched book.

You, the potential reader, may not know this, but at least you have me to tell you before you make the mistake of purchasing this book in the fraudulent belief that you will learn something from it.Maier seems obsessed with simply presenting Nigeria as a basketcase, despite the fact that he does not have a profound understanding of its people.No one like that should write a book like this.

Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, two of Nigeria's most talented authors, have both written books extremely critical of Nigeria, but they did so from a position of knowledge, and it showed.Which is not to say that you have to be from Nigeria to write a book about the country.Certainly not.But presenting the nation out of context in such an unsympathetic way, with so little nuance, is not only poor scholarship, it's dangerous.

Nigeria has tremendous problems, but it also has amazing success stories, none of which made it into this book.There are stories demonstrating the remarkable ingenuity, entrepreneurship and dilligence of Nigerian men and women under the hardest circumstances.It's a nation with great art, great literature, great music, a great sense of humor, not to mention thousands of years of history, and some of Africa's longest lasting and most interesting kingdoms and cultures.

But, you would definitely not know that reading this book, because all you are presented with is a bunch of miserable information.How would one expect readers to become interested in such a place?I'm not suggesting that Nigeria's very real problems be ignored, far from it.I'm only saying that a national portrait of political and moral collapse should at least show that the nation in question ALSO has remarkable talent, also has some of the funniest, warmest, and most resilient people you'll ever meet, also has a fascinating history, is diverse, and has complex historical reasons for so many of its problems.The book doesn't really explain how colonialism or modern financial interests and corporate interest might play into that.Or, why corrupt leaders come to power.What's the dynamic there?Why does this happen?The book doesn't deign to attempt answer such questions.Why?I have no idea.It just tells us that it's a corrupt country, and that we should care because it has oil, and a hundred million people.

I really think the world would be a better place if uninformed people stopped writing pessimistic drivel that further defames a continent which needs defenders, not detractors.I can't believe I bought this book, and own it.

A Nice Book
A nice book that touches on key aspects of Nigerian society. For a foreigner, Mr. Maier does a nice job in writing about the diverse ethnic groups that make up Nigeria. However, I have chosen to rate this book with three stars for the following reasons:

At some point in time, I got the feeling I was reading a newspaper. Being well versed and current with affairs in Nigeria, I found most of the stories recounted by Mr. Maier to be very familiar. What Mr. Maier failed to do was provide significant in-depth analysis into the problems besetting modern day Nigeria, or better still, present likely solutions to some of these problems from his point of view.

There are quite a few typographical errors in the book. I also disagree with a historical event stated. This has to do with the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914. Mr. Maier says it was done because Northern Nigeria was running a deficit, while the South was economically sustainable. This is definitely not true. The Northern and Southern protectorates were merged to form Nigeria in 1914 to serve the interests of the British Empire. Mineral resources obtained in the North were shipped to ports in the South to be sent to Britain. It made economic sense to Britain and had nothing to do with deficits or the economic state of the Northern and Southern colonies.

Generally, it is a very good book and one that touches on several aspects of modern Nigerian society in its 300 or so pages. It is definitely worth the read if you are interested in understanding the complexity and diversity of Nigerian society as well as its history, economic state and recent return to a democratic system of government.

A typical post colonial prejudice by a western journalist
It took me some time to get a copy of this book from a friend to read. But after reading it, I was glad not to have a copy myself. It is not that the contents of the book do not correspond with the nigerian situation, but the total lack of objectivity in the book. Maier clearly shows that he is among those we hear are paid to promote and justify the exercise of colonialism in Africa: that africans can not rule themselves. If Nigeria as a house has fallen, then it is due to the wrong foundation upon which the house was built which was the British mess and exploitation. Where Maier tried to remember that there was no nation like Nigeria before colonialism, he avoided telling the truth of the emergence of Nigeria as a consequence of British selfishness. For example, he mentioned that Nigeria had a great agricultural potentials in products such a palm oil and so many things, but quickly added these were exported to England and "inturn Nigeria got millions of tones of cosmetics and gins". Or where he slightly mentioned the activities of oil firms like the royal dutsch/shell in Nigeria, the environmental harzards are not taken note of. For God's sake why could he not tell us the truth that the aim of colonialsm was primarily for the need of his sponsors. Or when he metioned the amalgmation of north and south of Nigeria and termed it "for the purpose reducing deficit of the north", was the aim not to enhance more agricultural opportunities for the great Britian. It was on this bad foundation that ethnic kingdoms like the Igala, Yoruba, Benin and many others who had a very effective leadership and administrative autonomy were forced and forged into the nationhood of Nigeria which even became a problem before the exit of the foolish masters-maier's ancestors. Thank God, people like Alan Burns, a one time Birtish governor in Nigeria still live to write the truth: "Those Europeans who were interested in one protectorate knew little of the other, and wasted no sympathy on their neighbours, while among the inhabitants of the country the lack of uniform system of government had already accentuated the already existing difference of race, religion and culture" (Alan Burns: History of Nigeria,London, 1969. Pg. 11). I would wish that Maeir make out time to reason why he needs to blame his motherland for the many attrocities committed in Nigeria and africa as a whole of which the present situations are hangovers. I could have better not read this monographs of journalistic nonsense called a book on Nigeria, and would never recommend it to any objective mind.

You Are Welcome, Maier Cracks A Bit of Nigeria's Problems
Living in Nigeria leaves one drained, confused and fascinated.Nigeria is like watching a car crash every day; you cannot help but to watch despite the blood and carnage.Mr. Maier's lively account of daily scences in Nigeria is a accessible read for anyone, even those who never set foot in Nigeria or could care less about Africa's problems.A case in point is Maier's visit to former military President Babangida.The President sat in his chalet a few hours drive from Nigeria's capital Abuja, charming, sly, friendly and happy with the billions of dollars he stold from the Nigerian people.In fact, Babangida is set to make another run for President in 2007. Maier allows the former President to talk and expose the underbelly of most Nigerian leaders, avarice, self-righteousness and the ability to buy people off with the money taken from government coffers.In fact, be it Obasanjo, Abacha, Buhari or any other military leader or newly minted democratic leaders, they are all the same people, in the same big seats, stealing the same people and country blind.Sad, but Nigeria.Maier allows the reader in to see Nigeria from Abuja to Minna to Lagos; it is a great read and essential for anyone coming to Nigeria.

You are Welcome!! Nigeria, what a country and what a mess.

old wine in new skin
I bought This House Has Fallen: Nigeria in Crisis (Maier, 2003) after reading This house has fallen: Midnight in Nigeria (Maier, 2000). To my surprise, the texts were identical, save for the title and cover picture. Was it the intention of the publishers and the author to reproduce the 2000 publication word for word under a different title? I hope not, but I look forward to hearing from them on this medium since I have not been able to reach them otherwise. ... Read more

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The Niger-Delta region is prone to conflicts and restiveness as a consequence of oil activities and under development, which, ultimately induce poverty. Oil, Democracy and the Promise of True Federalism in Nigeria attempts to demonstrate this unfortunate byproduct of federalism in Nigeria. Calling for resource control and the practice of True Federalism, the contributors of this volume identify some of the major endemic problems for the Niger-Delta people. ... Read more

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This study provides history and analysis of constitution making in Nigeria. It demonstrates that the history can be divided into periods of non-participation, and then gradual participation of Nigerians in the making of their constitution. It analyses the procedure for the making of the 1999 Constitution, and the present position. It advocates for the future, more active or total participation of Nigerians in the constitution making process. The study discusses the development of constitutional law vis-a-vis federalism, the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, local governments and citizenship. All in all, it demonstrates how Nigerians have never been satisfied with their constitutional set-up because of perceived inequalities and injustices caused by the accident of history; and calls for a renegotiation of the basis of the continued existence of Nigeria as a federation, which gives precedence to equity and justice, and representation to the various nationalities making up modern Nigeria. ... Read more