Democracy and Prebendalism in Nigeria

REMI AIYEDE Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, NigeriaCONERLY CASEY Associate Professor of Anthropology, Rochester Institute of Technology, USALARAY DENZER Independent ScholarLARRY DIAMOND Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, USALEENA HOFFMANN Senior Lecturer in African Studies, Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, UKJANE GUYER George Armstrong Kelly Professor of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University, USARICHARD JOSEPH John Evans Professor of International History and Politics, Northwestern University, USAINSA NOLTE Senior Lecturer in African Studies, Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, UKOLLY OWEN Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Oxford University, UKDAVID PRATTEN University Lecturer in Social Anthropology and Director of African Studies Centre, Oxford University, UKSANI UMAR Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Northwestern University, USAROTIMI SUBERU Professor, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Bennington College, USAOLUFEMI VAUGHAN Geoffrey Canada Professor of Africana Studies & History, Bowdoin College, USA

"At once smartly guided by theoretical concerns, and thoroughly engaged with the complicated and varied realities of Nigerian society and byzantine politics, the essays in this first-rate collection are essential reading to anyone who wishes to understand why a country with so much potential remains mired in poverty." - Nicolas van de Walle, Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Government, Cornell University, USA "Adebanwi and Obadare, two of the leading lights of a new generation of African social scientists, have skillfully assembled an intergenerational mix of long-term students of politics, economy, and society in contemporary Nigeria that will offer readers considerable food for thought about the history of the organization and use of power and resources in Africa's most populous country. Their contribution, as much for the quality of the arguments marshaled as for the variety and cogency of issues covered, will make this book a compulsory companion for all those interested in gaining a more robust understanding of the dynamics that have combined together over the years to make Nigeria continuously under-perform at huge cost to itself and, indeed, all of Africa." - Adebayo Olukoshi, Director, UN African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) "Drawing in diverse ways upon Richard Joseph's seminal treatment of prebendalism, the contributors to this excellent volume illuminates the contradictions of 'really existing' democracy in Nigeria and its many predatory aspects. An invaluable guide to postcolonial Nigeria, the book is a major contribution to understanding African politics more broadly." - Crawford Young, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA "The contributors to this volume use the prism of prebendalism to look at the permanent struggle in Nigeria over access to public resources, which structures the way Nigerians perceive citizenship, shapes the country's complex and sometimes contentious ethnic dynamics, and contributes to growing social inequality." Nicolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs

• Preface – Larry Diamond Introduction: Democracy and Prebendalism: Emphases, Provocations, And Elongations – Ebenezer Obadare and Wale Adebanwi PART I The Roots of Neopatrimonialism: Opposition Politics and Popular Consent in Southwest Nigeria - Leena Hoffmann and Insa Nolte Prebendalism and the People: The Price of Petrol at the Pump – Jane Guyer and LaRay Denzer Prebendal Politics and Federal Governance in Nigeria – Rotimi Suberu Elite Competition, Institutional Change and Political Responsibility - E. Remi Aiyede Beyond Prebendal Politics: Class and Political Struggles in post-Colonial Nigeria - 'Kunle Amuwo Positions of Security and the Security of Position: Bureaucratic Prebendalism Inside the State - Olly Owen PART II Hausa Traditional Political Culture, Islam and Democracy: Historical Perspectives on Three Political Traditions - Muhammad S. Umar Mediating Justice: Youths, Media and 'Affective Justice' in the Politics of Northern Nigeria - Conerly Casey Decolonization, Ethno-Regionalism, and the Origins of Federalism in Nigeria - Olufemi Vaughan The Precariousness of Prebendalism – David Pratten PART III: reconsiderations Epilogue – Richard Joseph