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      The national question and radical politics in Nigeria

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      research-article
      Review of African Political Economy
      Review of African Political Economy
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            Abstract

            In his introduction to Billy Dudley's posthumous book (1982:8), A.D. Yahaya stated that:

            The political future of the country as one indivisible nation is resolved with the end of the civil war ... It is therefore not conceivable for the present generation of Nigerians who were so much part of the struggle for the survival of the federation to resuscitate the unity of the country as a political issue. The major political issue today is, therefore, not the unity of the country.

            It would seem, however, that events in Nigeria since 1983, such as the No Nation! No Destiny!broadcast of the FRCN Kaduna; the acrimonious and chauvinistic campaigns associated with the 1983 elections; the incessant disputes over the question of Federal Character; and the debacle over Nigeria's affiliation to the Organisation of Islamic Countries, tend to suggest that the unity of the country cannot be taken for granted. The Civil War did not resolve the National Question in Nigeria. What is true is that the Nigerian state was able to overcome a specific challenge to its integrity. This does not, however, mean that no future challenges are probable, or that the state would always have the capacity to overcome such challenges. The emergence of Anya Anya II in the Sudan is a case in point. The unity of the country cannot, therefore, be necessarily guaranteed by the state as currently constituted.

            This paper is an attempt at examining some of the theoretical and political issues relating to the resolution of the National Question in contemporary Nigeria. The first section attempts a definition of the problematic, while the second looks at the specific manifestations of the National Question within the Nigerian political economy. The third section examines the solutions put forward for resolving the National Question within mainstream Nigerian politics; while the fourth considers the relationship between radical politics and the National Question. The final section attempts a summary of the entire discourse.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            crea20
            CREA
            Review of African Political Economy
            Review of African Political Economy
            0305-6244
            1740-1720
            December 1986
            : 13
            : 37
            : 81-96
            Article
            8703701 Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 13, No. 37, December 1986, pp. 81-96
            10.1080/03056248608703701
            f414a7e4-ace7-4e7e-81fd-9980573c5723

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

            History
            Page count
            Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 25, Pages: 16
            Categories
            Original Articles

            Sociology,Economic development,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics,Africa

            Bibliographic note

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            2. Renner Karl. . 1978. . “‘The Development of the National Idea’. ”. In Austro‐Marxism . , Edited by: Bottomore Tom and Goode Patrick. . Oxford : : Clarendon Press. .

            3. Admin Samir. . 1980. . Class and Nation: Historically And in the Current Crisis . , Edited by: Kaplow Susan. . London : : Heineman. .

            4. Bala Usman Y.. 1980. . The Substance of the Problem of National Unity in Nigeria Today . , Zaria : : Department of History, Ahmadu Bello University. .

            5. Toyo Eskor. . 1975. . Description, Analysis, Prognosis, Polemic: National Question in Nigeria . , Zaria : : A.B.U.. .

            6. Lugard F.D.. 1920. . Nigeria: Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria and Administration, 1912–1919 . , London : : H.M.S.O.. .

            7. Graham S.F.. 1966. . Government and Mission Education in Northern Nigeria: 1900–1919 . , Ibadan University Press. .

            8. Adamu H.. 1973. . The North and Nigerian Unity .

            9. , Ethnicity and National Development: The Case of Nigeria , B. Sc. Thesis, Department of Political Science, A.B.U. Zaria , 1977

            10. Nnoli O.. 1980. . Ethnic Politics in Nigeria . Enugu :

            11. Current Issues Society. . 1966. . The Nigerian Situation: Facts and Background . p. 16 Kaduna :

            12. Kurfi Ahmadu. . 1983. . The Nigerian General Election: 1959 and 1979 . , Lagos : : Macmillan. .

            13. Mustapha A. R.. 1983. . Repression and the Nigerian Political Economy. In: . pager to the National Conference on the State of the Nation; . . 1983 ; , Zaria .

            14. Adeoye Tafa. . 1970. . The Agbe‐Ko‐Ya Revolt: Self‐Analysis of the Last Peasant Uprising in Western Nigeria . , Edited by: Oluwide Baba. . Lagos : : Young Toilers Brigade. .

            15. Molteno R.. 1974. . “‘Cleavages and Conflicts in Zambian Politics: A Study of Sectionalism’. ”. In Politics in Zambia . , Edited by: Tordoff W.. Manchester University Press. .

            16. Habte Selassie E.. 1984. . Eritrea: The National‐Colonial Question and the National Democratic Revolution. In: . Paper to the Labour and Development Seminar; . . 1984 ; , The Hague . . Institute of Social Studies. .

            17. Usman Y.B.. 1977. . Democracy and National Cohesion: The Bankruptcy of the CDC Majority Draft .

            18. Bala Usman Y.. 1983. . Actors and Factors in the Study of Contemporary History: The Case of the Nigerian Coup d'etat of January 1966 . , Zaria : : ABU. .

            19. Abba A.. July. 1985 . Some Remarks on the National Question and Radical Politics in Nigeria by A. R. Mustapha . , July. , Zaria : : Dept. of History, ABU. .

            20. Mustapha A. R.. July. 1985 . Critical Notes on the National Question: Practical Politics and the People's Redemption Party . , July. , Zaria : : Dept. of Political Science, ABU. .

            21. Nzimiro I.. 1983. . The Marxists in the Nigerian Civil War: Case of Biafran Marxists . , Dept of Sociology, University of Port‐Harcourt. .

            22. Garang Joseph. . ‘On Economics and Regional Autonomy’. . ROAPE . , Vol. 26:

            23. Bala Mohammed Memorial Committee. . 1983. . Class, Nationality and History in Nigeria . Zaria :

            24. Bala Usman Y.. 1982. . Notes on Appointments and Promotions . , Zaria : : Ahmadu Bello University. .

            25. Abba Alkasum. . 1983. . An Interim Reply to the Attacks on the PRPaX the An Interim Reply to the Attacks on the PRP at the Marx Centenary Conference . , Zaria : : ABU. .

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