This book examines the ways in which colonialism continues to define the political economy of Nigeria sixty years after gaining political independence from the British. It also establishes a link between colonialism and the continued agitation for restructuring the political arrangement of the country. The contributions offer various perspectives on how the forceful amalgamation of disparate units and diverse nationalities have undermined the realization of the development potential of Nigeria.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part interrogates the political economy of colonialism and the implications of this on economic development in contemporary Nigeria. The second part examines nation-building, governance, and development in a postcolonial state. The failure of the postcolonial political elites to ensure inclusive governance has continued to foster centrifugal and centripetal forces that question the legitimacy of the state. The forces have deepened calls forsecession, accentuated conflicts and predispose the country to possible disintegration. A new government approach is required that would ensure equal representation, access to power and equitable distribution of resources.

Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba is Associate Professor in the Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs, University of South Africa, and Visiting Professor in the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada. He is the author ofRegionalism and Integration in Africa: EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements and Euro-Nigeria Relations (2016) and co-editor ofThe Palgrave Handbook of African Political Economy (with Toyin Falola, 2020). Oloruntoba was the recipient of the National Research Foundation of South Africa Award in 2018.

Part I: The Political Economy of Colonialism.- 1. Colonialism and challenges of Nation-Building in Nigeria Colonialism and challenges of Nation-Building in Nigeria.- 2. The Political Economy of Colonialism and its implications on Nation Building and Political Development n Nigeria.- 3. British Colonial Administration and Development of Western Education in Ilorin Emirate, 1900-1960.- 4. Imperial Citizens or Economic Nationalists? Analysis of a colonially restructured Northwest Nigeria Economy in the 1940s.- 5. That they do not labour in vain: British Colonial Exploitation and Expropriation of Cocoa Industry in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria.- 6. A History of Anti-Leprosy Campaign in Sokoto Area of Northern Nigeria, 1991-1975.- 7. Ethnicity, Fluid Identities and Nation Building in Nineteenth Century Lagos.- 8. Power, Politics and Pilgrimage: The Hajj and Colonial Ideology in Nigeria, 1903-1927.- Part II: Governance, Nation-building and Development in Nigeria.- 9. Nigeria Since 2014: Restructuring or Dismemberment?.- 10. The Nigerian Restructuring Agitations and Debates in Perspective.- 11. African Women in Politics: Past, Present and the Future.- 12. Women in Political Leadership in Nigeria: An Investigative Study.- 13. Democracy and Demilitarization in Africa: Towards a Reconceptualization.- 14. Ethnicity, Farmer-Herder Conflicts and Nation Building in Nigeria.- 15. Ethnicity, Citizenship Identity and Nation Building in Africa: The Nigeria Experience.- 16. ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement, Border Porosity and the emerging threats to International Security in North Central Nigeria.- 17. The Role of Leadership in Governance and Development Crises at the Grassroots Level: Insights form Ijebu North Local Government Area, Ogun State Nigeria.- 18. Local Government Finance and Implications for Development in Local Area in Nigeria: A Case Study of The Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State.- 19. Co-operative Societies and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Viable Model in Human Development of Nigeria.