Originally published in 1990. A look at the vast, historically and socially complex nature of the Nigeria This book is intended to share what he has learned about public policy and administration in Africa over the past ten years. This book is based upon a decade of research, reflection, and writing. The field research period corresponds with the

"Crippled Giant is an excellent summary of Nigerian political history....The work is notable for even-handed analysis of both history and theory. The resultis an introduction of the highest quality to the study of Nigerian politics." --African Studies Review "Osaghae, an academic with a refreshinglyneutral and understated approach to the maddening follies of his government, hasproduced a highly readable overview of Nigeria's politics, economy, and foreignrelations. Rich in detail, his account is also a useful tour of earlier thematictreatments of the subject." -- Foreign Affairs ..".well-written, coherent narrative and thoughtful, balanced analysis of Nigeria'spolitical history from 1960 to 1996."? -- A. H. M. Kirk-Greene, St. Antony'sCollege, Oxford Eghosa Osaghae's study leads him to the conclusionthat Nigeria's problems are not of recent making but can be traced to structuralimpediments from colonial times.

In The Struggles of Post-Independence Nigeria, Ucheoma Nwagbara argues that despite Nigeria’s oil wealth and arable agricultural land, Nigerians are not any better today than they were before independence. Nwagbara examines Nigeria’s struggles with corruption, reckless government spending, poverty, inequality, crime, and violent insurgency to show how successive Nigerian leadership has failed to utilize the country’s enormous natural and human resources to improve citizens’ lives, eradicate poverty, and deliver broadly shared prosperity, especially to the middle class and the poor. Through his analysis, Nwagbara demonstrates that the nationalist ideals of dedicated and accountable leadership behind the struggle for independence in Nigeria have been betrayed as the emergent post-colonial leadership cared only for personal survival and gain. Despite these failures, Nwagbara reveals that Nigeria may still have a chance to improve and recover if Nigerians unite and demand real change through political and social activism.

In 2015, Nigeria's voters cast out the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). Here, A. Carl LeVan traces the political vulnerability of Africa's largest party in the face of elite bargains that facilitated a democratic transition in 1999. These 'pacts' enabled electoral competition but ultimately undermined the party's coherence. LeVan also crucially examines the four critical barriers to Nigeria's democratic consolidation: the terrorism of Boko Haram in the northeast, threats of Igbo secession in the southeast, lingering ethnic resentments and rebellions in the Niger Delta, and farmer-pastoralist conflicts. While the PDP unsuccessfully stoked fears about the opposition's ability to stop Boko Haram's terrorism, the opposition built a winning electoral coalition on economic growth, anti-corruption, and electoral integrity. Drawing on extensive interviews with a number of politicians and generals and civilians and voters, he argues that electoral accountability is essential but insufficient for resolving the representational, distributional, and cultural components of these challenges.

This book covers critical issues in Nigeria’s external relations since 1960. As an independent nation, Nigeria has stood out as the most populous black country in the world and contributed immensely to the search for solutions to pressing international issues, notably in Africa affairs. Nigeria has also participated actively in global affairs and used the platform of international organisation to advance her national interests, cognisant also of its regional and global obligations and responsibilities. Contributors to this thought-provoking book make a strong case for Nigeria to press for a foreign policy that puts Nigerian people at the centre. One of the strong points also emanating from the contributors of this book is the imperative for Nigeria to address domestic challenges that continue to impinge on the country’s external image.