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4 - Political Pluralism

from Part II - Context and History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2021

Toyin Falola
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
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Summary

“Political Pluralism” contextualizes the sociopolitical formation of modern Nigeria, and explicitly expounds on the inadequacy of existing political structures and the importance of political pluralism to adequate governance and true democracy. Drawing insights from other African states and around the world, this discourse examines how various states have adapted to or responded to pluralism, and what pluralism looks like across Africa. This study identifies the seeming inadequacy of political pluralism in Nigeria because of the lack of proper implementation, shortsighted political visions, and bad governance thereby faulting the existing classical form of pluralism in Nigeria, and suggesting a form that accounts for its strengths and weaknesses, the converging points, and shared interests of cultures. The masquerade of fake alliances should be replaced by practical policies and democratic philosophies, along with implementable fiscal plans and other signifiers of a conservative or liberal political economy. It can work if it is coupled with regionalism, where each region is allowed to develop measures of autonomy in a democratic setting, a federal structure that distributes power between the regions, and a center held together by a binding constitution that is appropriate.

Type
Chapter
Information
Understanding Modern Nigeria
Ethnicity, Democracy, and Development
, pp. 74 - 108
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Political Pluralism
  • Toyin Falola, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book: Understanding Modern Nigeria
  • Online publication: 09 June 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108936866.005
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  • Political Pluralism
  • Toyin Falola, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book: Understanding Modern Nigeria
  • Online publication: 09 June 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108936866.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Political Pluralism
  • Toyin Falola, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book: Understanding Modern Nigeria
  • Online publication: 09 June 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108936866.005
Available formats
×