Browsing by Author "Aiyede, E. R."

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Africa and the US national security policy in a changing global order
(Ibadan journal of the social sciences, 2009) Aiyede, E. R.
Developments in US policy towards Africa since 9/11, as shown by the establishment of the Africa Command, has been described as marked departures from what existed in the immediate post-Cold War era when Africa was 'neglected'. Africa has been de-marginalized in the US strategic and national security policy because it has become critical to the strategic interest of the US. This paper provides an alternative interpretation of the US national security policy as translated into activities in Africa in the post 9111period. It argues that Africa has never been marginalized nor neglected by the US in its foreign or security policy after the Cold War, although there has been a change in strategy. This becomes obvious when security is not separated from the economy in the analysis of the US national security policy agency towards Africa
The anti-corruption war during the Jonathan presidency
(2014) Aiyede, E. R.
Book review
(Development in practice, 2007) Aiyede, E. R.
Borrowed institutions and African exceptionalism: a critique
(African journal of institutions and development, 2010) Aiyede, E. R.
This paper critiques the view that attributes the crisis of the state and governance in Africa to the contradiction between African values and indigenous processes of governance, and borrowed institutions. It argues that engaging political institutions in a detailed comparative manner shows how and why similar institutions borrowed from the West have worked in some developing countries and have been less than successful in others. An engagement with institutional theory from the perspective of Africa should aim to bring African experience to bear on issues rather than merely to show how unworkable they are in Africa.
The case of oil exploitation in Nigeria
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) Aiyede, E. R.
Civil society efficacy, citizenship and empowerment in Africa
(International society for sector research, 2016) Aiyede, E. R.
This paper contributes to the debate on the limited efficacy of civil society in Africa. It examines the complex interface between notions of civil society and citizenship within the context of the postcolonial state in Africa. It argues that the bifurcated character of citizenship is implicated in the inefficacy of civil society. This is underlined by the limited achievements in social citizenship, aggravated by the economic crisis and neoliberal reforms of the 1980s and 1990s as well as the politics of regime sustenance. Political disengagement, drain on the moral content of public life and diminished collective orientation of citizens, aggravated conflicts within society, thereby, promoting a democratisation of disempowerment and a disorganised civil society.
Constitutional and institutional basis of inter governmental relations (IGR) in Nigeria
(Programme on ethnic and federal studies, 2004) Egwaikhide, F. 0.; Aiyede, E. R.; Benjamin, S. A; Dlakwa, H. D; Ikelegbe, A.
Corruption perception studies and anti-corruption in Nigeria
(Journal of culture, politics and innovation, 2016) Aiyede, E. R.
Perception studies of corruption have proliferated in the last decade. However, there is a lingering controversy over the proper us of the outputs from such studies to benefit anti-corruption efforts. Against this backdrop, these paper reviews the theoretical context of the perception studies of corruption and their justifications. It examined key perception studies of corruption at the global, regional and national levels in relation to Nigeria and discusses key issues associated with them. These include controversies around the definition of corruption, methodological issues such as the reliability of the perception approach to the study of corruption, possibilities of cross country comparisons, the connections between global, regional and local anticorruption studies and the issue of how such studies and rankings reflect power relations. The paper argues that perception studies will be significant and effective to the extent that elites and government officials continue to take the opinion and perception of citizens and other stakeholders seriously.
Decentralizing public sector collective bargaining and the contradictions of federal practice in Nigeria
(African study monographs, 2002) Aiyede, E. R.
Economic reforms and the quest for efficiency in public administration call for the decentralization of collective bargaining and wages in the public sector in Nigeria. But the effort to decentralize has translated into both a protracted industrial relations crisis and intergovernmental conflict. This situation is traced to the failed effort at institutionalizing collective bargaining and the consolidation of the unified wage structure in the public sector by the resort to ad hoc wages commissions. The distorted fiscal federalism and intergovernmental relations under the military in Nigeria complicated the situation, such that resolving the federal question has become critical to returning stability to Nigeria’s industrial relations system.
Democratic security sector governance and military reform in Nigeria
(2015) Aiyede, E. R.
The dynamics of civil society and the democratization process in Nigeria
(Canadian journal of african studies, 2003) Aiyede, E. R.
This article is the output of a fellowship at the Tran regional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS), New School University, New York. I am grateful to the TCDS and Professor Andrew Arato, the commentator at the TCDS Conference where the first draft was presented, to Professor Akin Mabogunje of the Development Policy Centre, and to the two anonymous reviewers of the Canadian Journal of African Studies for their useful comments on the manuscript.
Electoral governance and women's political leadership in Nigeria
(IDASA, 2005) Aiyede, E. R.
Electoral governance and women's political leadership in Nigeria
(IDASA, 2005) Aiyede, E. R.
Electoral laws and the 2007 general elections in Nigeria
(Journal of African elections, 2007) Aiyede, E. R.
Credible elections are a salient indicator of democratic consolidation and the principal institutionalised means of forming and changing democratic governments. A central determinant of the success of any election is the institutions which structure the behaviour of participants and the choices available to them, hence their belief in pay-offs to individuals and groups. The guiding principles and regulations of the 2007 general elections in Nigeria are to be found in the 1999 Constitution and in the Electoral Act 2006. These documents not only set out the rules, the enactment of the Electoral Act usually signals the beginning of the electoral contest. The Constitution and the Act together make elaborate provision for voter registration, party and candidate registration, campaign financing and regulation, election observation, ballot design, polling stations, voting, counting, and tabulation, election management bodies, and dispute settlement authorities. This paper reviews critically the constitutional provisions on elections and the Electoral Act 2006 in the context of the challenges of achieving credible elections in Nigeria.
Elite competition, institutional change, and political responsibility
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) Aiyede, E. R.
Executive-legislature relations in Nigeria’s emerging presidential democracy
(UNILA G journal of politics, 2005) Aiyede, E. R.
This paper investigates the recurrent executive-legislature face offs in Nigeria in the Fourth Republic. It examines the underlining issues and strategies adopted by each arm in pursuit of its interests and how these strategies fuel and intensify the conflicts, noting the opportunities and challenges for reducing the tendency towards government immobilism. It argues that three factors have been critical to the relentless acrimony between the legislature and the executive. The first is the relative underdevelopment of the legislature in terms of institutional processes, role perception and rules of conduct. The second is the incoherence of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) that rendered it incapable of enforcing discipline among its members in government. The third is the hangover from militarism, which reflects in the strategies adopted by both parties.
Federalism, decentralisation and the liberalisation of business environment in Nigeria
(Development policy centre, 2001) Aiyede, E. R.
"This study examines how federal restructuring and decentralisation can be tailored towards the creation of an enabling environment for business in Nigeria. It does this by making a comparative assessment of the business environment in Nigetia; exploring the character of federalism and decentralisation programmes in Nigeria. It also examines the implications of these for governance and the business environment in Nigeria while suggesting decentralisation reforms required to enhance government efficiency and effectiveness as well as improving the business environment. The study noted that decentralization programmes in Nigeria began from the colonial era but have largely taken the form of spatial deconcentration. As a result, they have had the effect of increasing central control and reducing opportunities for citizen participation, and stultified creativity. The restraint in devolving power is attributable to the effort at regime sustenance in the face of limited state legitimacy, the problem of fragile national unity and the prevalence of military dictatorship with its centralizing tendencies. Territorial fragmentation and internal boundary adjustments have resulted in a proliferation of states and local governments; but such levels of government have been without local power that can attract and stimulate participation. Spatial deconcentration has resulted in a bloated states sector, with minimal private sector development, and a suppression of innovative and entrepreneurial energy. Dependence of sub-national units on oil revenue from the centre has been one of the major reasons fur the failure to diversify the economic base of the country. The competition that had characterised inter-state relations under the three and four-region Systems in which derivation was a significant factor of horizontal revenue sharing gave way to political struggles for federation funds. Thus, local spending became completely separated from local resources in the name of even development across the country. The centralisation of resources control and the adoption of a general revenue allocation formula provided no incentive for competitiveness among the various sub-national governments. Decentralisation reforms have become imperative but need to be done democratically. There should be wide spread consultation and negotiation to reach consensus on an ideological base for the envisaged decentralization programme. There should also be very clear institutional arrangement for managing the process, realistic and clear-cut distribution of powers and functions among the various governments based on the principle of subsidiarity with clearly spelt out institutions of horizontal and vertical accountability. The programme should be informed by a more practicalconcern about economic competitiveness, such that the country will be restructured into competing governmental units, providing room for public/private partnership in productive activities at the lower levels, such that would enable the exploration and development of economic potentials of the various states. The current general revenue sharing formula should be reconsidered with a view to promoting competition hand in hand with the drive for equity and accountability. Caution should be taken during the process to avoid fanning the embers of centrifugal forces. Nigeria should borrow ideas from successful decentralisation efforts in other lands. "
Federalism, power sharing and the 2011 presidential election in Nigeria
(Journal of African elections, 2012) Aiyede, E. R.
Power sharing has become a prominent feature of post-election conflict management practice in Africa in recent times. A study of the Nigerian experience provides useful lessons about the theory and practice of power sharing in a divided society with a federal system. Nigeria instituted the ‘zoning with rotation’ principle to shore up the affirmative action/federal character principle earlier devised to manage the inter-ethnic tensions that followed the crisis thrown up by the annulment of the presidential elections of 12 June 1993. This article examines the challenges and debates over power sharing in the build-up to the 2011 elections as a result of the entrance of Goodluck Jonathan (a southerner) into the presidential race, made possible by the death of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua (a northerner) in a clear upset of the power-sharing arrangement. It argues that while the ‘zoning with rotation’ principle remains useful for stability and representation in Nigeria its sustenance depends on its flexible application and the creativity of the elites as they negotiate and manage the power disequilibrium that results from perceived access or lack of access of segments of Nigerian society to top political office. The Nigerian case shows that the ‘zoning with rotation’ principle is problematic as a long-term solution because it constrains the notion of free political competition and the uncertain outcomes that are central to democracy.
From corporatist power to abjection: labor and state control in Nigeria
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) Aiyede, E. R.
Human security in Africa
(Africa institute of South Africa, 2010) Aiyede, E. R.