Books: 1995 - 1999

The History of Nigeria

by Toyin Falola

Drawing on a large body of primary and secondary sources, this book analyzes the history of Nigeria from its early period to the present. All the major historical themes are covered, notably precolonial and indigenous state systems and societies, the penetration of Europeans that ended in colonial subjugation, nationalist struggles, and the various administrations since the country attained its independence in 1960. Nigeria is yet to emerge as a strong united nation, and its efforts at creating political stability and economic development have been disappointing. This book captures the history of lost opportunities and the mismanagement of a country with all the resources to become a world power.

Culture, Politics, and Money Among the Yoruba

by Toyin Falola and Akanmu Adebayo

This masterful work investigates and analyzes several aspects of money among the Yoruba of Nigeria. The authors explore the origin, philosophy, uses, politics, and problems of acquiring and spending money in Yoruba culture. No prior book exists on this aspect of a major ethnic group in Africa with established connections with the black Diaspora in North America and the Caribbean. Part 1, "Money and Its Uses," focuses on the transition from barter to cowry currency, and the idealistic and pragmatic views of moneyto the development of savings, banking, and credit institutions. Part 2, "Money and Its Problems," investigates the social, political, and cultural problems of money, including money-lending, theft, counterfeiting, and corruption. Part 3, "Money and Oil Economy," assesses the impact of the oil industry on the Nigerian state and examines both the positive and negative effects of oil money on Yoruba economy, society, and spending. Concluding chapters detail efforts to arrest the crisis that followed the economic slump after the oil boom and led to the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Program.

Violence in Nigeria: The Crisis of Religious Politics and Secular Ideologies

by Toyin Falola

Violence in Nigeria is the most comprehensive study of religious violence and aggression in Nigeria, notably its causes, consequences, and the options for conflict resolution. After an analysis of the links between religion and politics, the book elaborates on all the major cases of violence in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Maitatsine, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, and Katsina riots. Zones of religious tensions are identified, as well as general characteristics of violence in Nigeria; and issues in inter and intra-religious relations, religious organizations, the states, and the main actors in the conflicts are explored in great detail. A product of extensive primary research, this book makes a contribution to contemporary social and political history that no previous study has attempted, and it is written to appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike.

Studies in the Nineteenth-Century Economic History of Nigeria

Edited by Toyin Falola and Ann O'Hear

In spite of the rapid growth of economic history as a field of study, the economic history of Nigeria remains underdeveloped. Such large-scale continent-wide and regional studies as have been done still result in the obscuring of local peculiarities. Works of synthesis on Nigerian groups are also few and far between. What this volume accomplishes is to elaborate broad issues and point to a few case studies that advance the state of research. The volume delineates the important economic changes of the nineteenth century, brought about by warfare, inter-group interactions of various kinds, contacts with the outside world, and finally the gradual imposition of colonial rule. While rates of change may have varied from swift to barely perceptible, the volume operates with the assumption that economic activities were dynamic.

Religious Militancy and Self-Assertion: Islam and Politics in Nigeria

by Matthew Hassan Kukah and Toyin Falola

This critical assessment of the origins and consequences of Islam and politics in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria covers religion and national integration; looks at the old and the new Caliphates; examines violence and deprivation in the Kaduna State; and analyses national feeling.

Development Planning and Decolonization in Nigeria

by Toyin Falola

The book analyzes the origins of planning and the impact of development schemes on Nigeria from 1940 to 1960. Using the methods of economic history and based primarily on official documents from Britain, the United States, and three archives in Nigeria, it examines the conflict generated by the first colonial development plans and the details of the Ten Year Plan of 1946-55. The author distributes the responsibility—and the blame—for poor planning between the British colonial powers, who sought minimal goals, and the Nigerian elite, who had big aspirations. Told for the first time by a native African scholar, this story of development planning shows clearly where Nigeria went adrift in its transformation from a "traditional" society to a "modern" one, and calls into question the theoretical and ideological foundations of development planning throughout Africa.