DOCSLIB.ORG

Delving Into Chief Obafemi Awolowo's Politics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Delving Into Chief Obafemi Awolowo's Politics Nigerian Tribune 32 Tuesday, 20 October, 2009 With Adewale Oshodi 08062086668 Delving into Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s politics who exhibited transparence, integrity, A report by Ayo Onatola on the public presentation doggedness and clear commitment to cherished of the book, OBAFEMI AWOLOWO AND THE ideals in governance. He stated that, to AWO, politics was not for personal enrichment or MAKING OF REMO: THE LOCAL POLITICS OF A treasury looting as exemplified in the events leading to his vacation of Premiership of the NIGERIAN NATIONALIST by Insa Nolte, which Western Region for Late Chief Samuel Ladoke was held in London recently. Akintola in order to vie for the headship of the Federal House, which he lost. HE epoch-making event to celebrate the quest for national development. Otunba Daniel further debunked the claim launch of a well-researched publication The Executive Director of the Obafemi by some opponents that AWO was a tribal Ton the Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Awolowo Foundation did acknowledge the leader. He said rather, AWO was a by a German and lecturer on African Culture extent of thorough research that was distinguished democrat and the best President at a UK-based university in this 21st century undertaken by Insa Nolte which culminates that Nigeria never had. As the head of is affirmative of the personality of AWO, as a in the quality book she authored. Dr. Awolowo- Government in the defunct Western Region of prophet without honour in his place, but Dosunmu was quick to add that it is a rich Nigeria, he successfully implemented free discovered outside the Nigerian shore to be an book on the life and times of her father, not education, free health care, integrated rural epitome of exemplary leadership and a credible only as a frontline Nigerian politician, but development and gainful employment. manager of men and resources, which future someone who, along with his political It is against this backdrop that the governor leaders should see as a role model in the associates, viewed public offices as declared modelling his programmes after enthronement of enduring democracy and opportunities to diligently serve the people. AWO’s laudable achievements as his own way good governance in Nigeria. According to Awolowo-Dosumu, AWO’s to mobilize the people of Ogun to keep faith In the centenary year of his birth, precisely record indicates that he reproduced the with the Legendary AWO. He pledged his on October 6, 2009, there was a remarkable “general cultural politics of Remo - an ethic of determination to continue whatever AWO acknowledgement of the good deeds of one of enlightenment, accountability and duty to the symbolizes while he lamented on the game of •Cover of the book the foremost Nigerian politicians, the leader community” through the Action Group deceit played by some politicians, who often services and advice of all the talents which of the Yoruba people in Nigeria and the Sage, Government of 1952-59. She reinforced the dress to look like AWO whereas their activities Nigeria and nations friendly to her can provide. Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, SAN, author’s description of AWO that “he was are incomparable to what AWO stood for on Nigeria has in her all the makings of greatness. GCFR at an event organized by the respected by his peers for advocacy on their what good governance is. But we would be deluding ourselves if we International African Institute, London, in behalf”. He was a proud and principled man The author of the book, Insa Nolte, lectures imagined that size, population and natural collaboration with the Obafemi Awolowo who did not tolerate what he perceived as at the Centre for West African Studies, University resources, which are nothing but latent factors, Foundation, and Edinburgh University Press. injustice and was certainly not prepared to of Birmingham. Insa, a German, married to a are all that are required to boost us into a position The event, which was anchored by make baseless promises or profess sentiments Briton, dressed gorgeously to the occasion in a of eminence and leadership. On the contrary, it Professor J.D.Y. Peel, General Editor, he did not feel”. Yoruba tailor-styled gown which was specially is the amount of patriotism, unstinted effort and International African library Series, took place Speaking further, Dr. Awolowo-Dosumu designed and adorned with the photograph of wisdom which we apply to the exploitation of at the Brunei Suite, School of Oriental and said politics to AWO meant that “election AWO to commemorate the centennial birthday our vast resources, and of the just and equitable African Studies (SOAS), Russell Square, promises were made to be kept” and this value of the Late Sage in March 2009. She was distribution of the results of such exploitation, London. The two-hour long programme was made him to be a “Man of the People”. Dr accompanied by a few colleagues from her that will determine the measure of our greatness witnessed by a large turnout of the eminent Awolowo Dosumu noted that many present- university, together with her father, Prof Hans and happiness as a people.” Nigerians in diasporas, representatives of day politicians in Nigeria like to identify with Heinrich Nolte and husband, Prof Simon Green. Dr. Awolowo Dosumu then She finally various community development associations the name AWO irrespective of the variance of Insa Nolte won the heart of everyone in the presented the book Obafemi Awolowo and the including some other Nigerians who flew into their political leanings to that of the Awolowo’s audience as she made a speech prepared in three Making of Remo: The Local Politics of a Britain from all over the world and other political family. She further observed that Insa different languages, namely: Yoruba (Nigerian), Nigerian Nationalist written by Dr. Insa Nolte members of the UK academic community. has touched on some issues which could open German and English. She was indeed to the public. The programme coordinator was Stephanie ways for further research in future, either by comfortable to speak much at length in Yoruba, Otunba Gbenga Daniel could not hide his Kitchen, the Chair of the Publications Insa or other researchers, so that “we will which appears to be jaw breaking to an average feelings at the occasion, by virtue of being the Committee; Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo- increasingly understand the factors that went German or British citizen. Insa used the governor at the home state of the subject of Dosumu, the Executive Director, Obafemi into the making of the transformational leader opportunity to express her gratitude for the large the discussion, as he offered thanks to the Awolowo Foundation, was the Guest Speaker that AWO was in life and the extraordinary turn-out of invited guests and the media people. organisers. and the Special Guest of Honour was the Ogun phenomenon that he has become in death”. She also acknowledged with thanks the support As a matter of fact, he confessed that it will State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. The As part of the concluding remarks on her she received from many individuals and notable amount to a disservice to have missed such an Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty, Oba Okunade nine-page speech, the Executive Director of the organizations she enumerated. interesting and historical event in honour of Sijuwade (Olubuse 11) was ably represented Obafemi Awolowo Foundation re-validated The publishers were overwhelmed to see all his political mentor, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. by Mr. laurie Roullier. the position of the author that what AWO did the copies of the book brought to the venue The Ogun State governor specially The day was full of erudition to nearly was to use his prodigious talents to re-affirm bought and not able to meet the demand for appreciated the initiative and dexterity of Insa invoking the spirit of AWO which caught the and apply traditional, and timeless values of the book by other interested readers. Nolte in going that far to bring alive the hopes admiration of the foreigners in attendance, honourable leadership and responsible Finally, Professor lD.Y. Peel used the of the Nigerian masses for a better future as going by the introduction of Professor Peel, to citizenship to his time, contrary to the occasion to present a plaque of the Eminent she authored this new book on the Legend of speeches and talks presented by Dr. Awolowo erroneous claim that AWO came before his Personality Award of the Best Governor of the the Nigerian politics, the Great AWO which is Dosumu and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, all of time; the result is the phenomenon that we Year 2009 on behalf of the Board of Directors now being put into the public glare. whom cited some of AWO’s philosophical celebrate today. She referred to the final of Music & Movies Entertainment Limited Otunba Daniel presented a treatise entitled sayings dating back to 1950 on what paragraph of Nolte’s book which reads: “the (publishers of M&M Magazine), United Keeping faith with the Legend. According to leadership and good governance entailed, but commitment of Remo’s rural constituents to Kingdom to the Ogun State, governor, Otunba the Ogun State governor, Chief Awolowo which still elude Nigeria as of today. political participation suggests that, despite Gbenga Daniel. towered above his contemporaries as a leader Dr. Awolowo-Dosumu, as the Guest the authoritarian interventions of the colonial Speaker, used the occasion to emphasise the and postcolonial state the potential for essence of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation political transformation and reform exists at as the research institute for the propagation the Nigerian grassroots.” Briefly of the political ideals of Chief Awolowo and Dr Awolowo-Dosumu in her final what good governance is all about.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Introduction 1 Nigeria and the Struggle for the Liberation of South
    Notes Introduction 1. Kwame Nkrumah, Towards Colonial Freedom: Africa in the Struggle against World Imperialism, London: Heinemann, 1962. Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Republic of Ghana, 1957–1966. 2. J.M. Roberts, History of the World, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, p. 425. For further details see Leonard Thompson, A History of South Africa, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990, pp. 31–32. 3. Douglas Farah, “Al Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade,” The Washington Post, November 2, 2001. 4. Ibid. 5. http://www.africapolicy.org/african-initiatives/aafall.htm. Accessed on July 25, 2004. 6. G. Feldman, “U.S.-African Trade Profile.” Also available online at: http:// www.agoa.gov/Resources/TRDPROFL.01.pdf. Accessed on July 25, 2004. 7. Ibid. 8. Salih Booker, “Africa: Thinking Regionally, Update.” Also available online at: htt://www.africapolicy.org/docs98/reg9803.htm. Accessed on July 25, 2004. 9. For full details on Nigeria’s contributions toward eradication of the white minority rule in Southern Africa and the eradication of apartheid system in South Africa see, Olayiwola Abegunrin, Nigerian Foreign Policy under Military Rule, 1966–1999, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003, pp. 79–93. 10. See Olayiwola Abegunrin, Nigeria and the Struggle for the Liberation of Zimbabwe: A Study of Foreign Policy Decision Making of an Emerging Nation. Stockholm, Sweden: Bethany Books, 1992, p. 141. 1 Nigeria and the Struggle for the Liberation of South Africa 1. “Mr. Prime Minister: A Selection of Speeches Made by the Right Honorable, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa,” Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Lagos: National Press Limited, 1964, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Awolowo's Political Philosophy
    Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 27 (2): 138-143, 2019 ISSN 1990-9233 © IDOSI Publications, 2019 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2019.138.143 Awolowo’s Political Philosophy: A Panacea For Good Governance Philip G. Nnaemeka Agashi Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria Abstract: The fundamental basic rule of life is on the centre of Awolowo’s theory of mental magnitude as an avenue to free Nigeria and Africa in general from the social ills. The idea of a responsible and responsive government is to wage war against the social ills which culminate on the following; illiteracy, corruption unemployment robbery, violence and terrorism. The African continent remains underdeveloped due to the high magnitude of the social ills. More so, it is due to absolute negligence of the leaders towards the fundamental rule of life. For Obafemi Awolowo the realistic nature of good governance is based on the basic rule of life that good begets good while evil begets evil. He understood love as the basic rule of life for leaders who have passion in achieving good and effective governance. Therefore the paper advocates the moral and political philosophy of Abafemi Awolowo as a panacea for good governance in the continent of Africa. Key words: Governance Political Philosophy and Nigeria INTRODUCTION human development as published by UNDP. Every successive government mainly after the first military coup Nigeria is endowed with abundant economic (natural) in Nigeria has been characterized by corruption and bad and human resources but the greatest problem facing leadership, thereby shattering the dreams of our founding Nigeria is the idea of effective leadership.
    [Show full text]
  • College Codes (Outside the United States)
    COLLEGE CODES (OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES) ACT CODE COLLEGE NAME COUNTRY 7143 ARGENTINA UNIV OF MANAGEMENT ARGENTINA 7139 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ENTRE RIOS ARGENTINA 6694 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF TUCUMAN ARGENTINA 7205 TECHNICAL INST OF BUENOS AIRES ARGENTINA 6673 UNIVERSIDAD DE BELGRANO ARGENTINA 6000 BALLARAT COLLEGE OF ADVANCED EDUCATION AUSTRALIA 7271 BOND UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 7122 CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 7334 CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 6610 CURTIN UNIVERSITY EXCHANGE PROG AUSTRALIA 6600 CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AUSTRALIA 7038 DEAKIN UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 6863 EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 7090 GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 6901 LA TROBE UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 6001 MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 6497 MELBOURNE COLLEGE OF ADV EDUCATION AUSTRALIA 6832 MONASH UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA 7281 PERTH INST OF BUSINESS & TECH AUSTRALIA 6002 QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF TECH AUSTRALIA 6341 ROYAL MELBOURNE INST TECH EXCHANGE PROG AUSTRALIA 6537 ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AUSTRALIA 6671 SWINBURNE INSTITUTE OF TECH AUSTRALIA 7296 THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA 7317 UNIV OF MELBOURNE EXCHANGE PROGRAM AUSTRALIA 7287 UNIV OF NEW SO WALES EXCHG PROG AUSTRALIA 6737 UNIV OF QUEENSLAND EXCHANGE PROGRAM AUSTRALIA 6756 UNIV OF SYDNEY EXCHANGE PROGRAM AUSTRALIA 7289 UNIV OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA EXCHG PRO AUSTRALIA 7332 UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE AUSTRALIA 7142 UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA AUSTRALIA 7027 UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA 7276 UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 6331 UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA 7265 UNIVERSITY
    [Show full text]
  • Elections in Anglophone African Countries 41 Yolanda Sadie 4 5 3 Youth Participation in Anglophone Africa 79 Victoria Graham
    This book compares the progress ten select countries, all former colonies of Britain, have made towards the practice of democracy. The authors assess a range of indicators including the quality of elections, the impact of voter turnout, the importance of term limits, civil society’s various responsibilities, the presence of media freedoms, the impact of youth participation, accountability and the rising role of social media. These findings help illustrate the various periods within each country’s democracy from the immediate post-colonial experience, to the emergence of one-party states, to the surge of multi-party elections that are being influenced by key political figures and technology. This book will be of great interest to a broad readership including students of politics, international relations and history at tertiary educational institutions as well as the wider readership that is keen to understand what has shaped the post-colonial political experience of some key Anglophone African countries. Brittle Democracies? Heather A Thuynsma is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences and Communications Manager for the Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria. THIS PAGE IS LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Brittle Democracies? Comparing Politics in Anglophone Africa PB 1 ESI Press University of Pretoria, Lynwood Avenue, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa https://www.up.ac.za/faculty-of-humanities 2 Text copyright © ESI Press 2020 3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying and recording, or by any other information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Interrogating the Plausibility of Ideological Classification of Nigerian Society Richard Taye Oyelakin
    Interrogating the Plausibility of Ideological Classification of Nigerian Society Richard Taye Oyelakin http://dx.doi.org//10.4314/ujah.v17i 2.1 Abstract It is almost a theoretical truism that a society comprises different groups of people held together by common ideas, goals, and social-political and economic principles. These ideas, goals and principles precipitated different ideological groupings depending on the nature and supporting history of such society. Resulting from the differences in ideas, goals and principles in such a society, one ideological group is classified from the other. Consequently, talking about the organization of some Western societies namely, the United Kingdom, there are some diverse but sometimes competing ideological schools. Typically, we have the Conservative, the Liberal and the Radical Left. However, attempts are made to define African politico-economic structures along these foreign ideological classifications. This originates from the view that an ideological classification which originated and is working in some particular Western society must also work in typical African society. Whereas, the latter is not only different in its theoretical framework but also in its historical background. Consequently, this paper seeks to interrogate the justification of such classification of Nigerian society. The paper intends to submit that attempting to classify Nigerian politico-economic structure into these ideological frameworks is not only contradictory to the nature of our society, but also that such classifications are just conceptual acronyms for pseudo classes. 1 UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities Introduction There is bound to be a distortion of intellectual perception, especially when issues are not put into their correct perspectives.
    [Show full text]
  • International Journal of Management and Economics
    2020 · VOLUME 56 · ISSUE 2 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS Academic Board: Jacek Prokop (Chair), Warsaw School of Economics, Poland; Tomasz Gołębiowski, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland; Sándor Kerekes, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary; Bożena Leven, The College of New Jersey, USA; Rajiv Mehta, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA; Mariusz Próchniak, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland; Katharine Rockett, University of Essex, Great Britain; Ryszard Rapacki, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland; Manuchehr Shahrokhi, Craig School of Business -California State University, Global Finance Association, USA; Jian Shi, Sichuan University, China; Meir Statman, Santa Clara University, USA; Theo Vermaelen, INSEAD, France; Christine Volkmann, Wuppertal University, Germany; Charles V. Wait, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa; Marzanna Witek-Hajduk, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland; Ralf Zurbrugg, University of Adelaide, Australia. Editorial Board: Adam Szyszka - Editor in Chief Krzysztof Falkowski - Vice Editor Elżbieta Wąsowicz-Zaborek - Managing Editor Anna Napiórkowska - Managing Editor Thematic editors: Arkadiusz Kowalski - Economics Izabela Kowalik - Management Katarzyna Sum - Finance Mariusz Próchniak - Economics Piotr Maszczyk - Economics Honorary Editor in Chief: Jolanta Mazur Statistical Editor: Piotr Zaborek Text editing and proofreading of English-language articles in the paper International Journal of Management and Economics are financed under contract 666/P-DUN/2019 from the resources of
    [Show full text]
  • The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies
    THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL STUDIES ISSN 2321 - 9203 www.theijhss.com THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL STUDIES Obafemi Awolowo as the Personification of a Strong Opposition in Nigeria’s First Republic: The Didactic Elements from His Rhetoric Gbenga Bode Babatunde Former Chief Lecturer, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Nigeria Abstract: This paper examines whether or not there is a statistically significant difference in Awolowo’s reactions to the five different issues of the economy, politics, socio-cultural milieu, international relations and education as the opposition leader in Nigeria’s first experience at the parliamentary system of government during the first republic. The purpose of the study, in this regard, was to analyse Awolowo’s political speeches during the period he served as the opposition and to see the extent to which each of them is given prominence of attention and also whether, taken together, they show Awolowo as a social democrat and prophet. Indeed, this study of Awolowo’s experience as opposition leader, from December, 1959 (maiden meeting of the house was on Jan 13, 1960) to January 15, 1966, constitutes one out of seven hypotheses tested by this same researcher, and is therefore within the umbrella of the whole longitudinal study spanning the whole career of Awolowo as a politician from 1951 to 1983. For the whole longitudinal study, 40 political speeches which represent six phases in Awolowo’s political career from 1951 to 1983 were selected through the proportional stratified sampling technique for content analysis. Measures of five broad issues (Category A – E), within and across six political situations, were employed to test seven hypotheses through the One-way ANOVA, Newman Keuls’ Method of Multiple Comparison and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation.
    [Show full text]
  • Obafemi Awolowo Political Theory: a Philosophical Critique
    Obafemi Awolowo Political Theory: A Philosophical Critique. Fasoro, Joseph Olurotimi M.A. Philosophy Department of Philosophy Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria 1986 Abstract: A number of Scholars have argued that no African Politicians can be said to have formulated anything that can be regarded as a 'Political theory' that is worth academic study. This line of argument is often based on the inconsistent incoherent and sometimes eclectic nature of the political writings and utterances of African Political Leaders. In this study therefore, it is argued that Chief Obafemi Awolowo of Nigeria can be properly credited with a precise political theory which is 'Democratic Socialism'. It is also argued that though Awolowo's democratic Socialism be regarded as somehow unique considering his rejection of most of the basic presuppositions of both the Marxist and African variants of Socialism, there is no reason for his total rejection of the incorporation of some aspects of African traditional Communalism into his 'Scientific' Socialism. Awolowo's advocacy for non-violent transition of Nigeria from Capitalism to Socialism is here rejected. It is not argued that revolution is inevitable to Socialism, however, it is believed that some element of force or violence may be required in breaking the resistance of the agents of exploitation, if any, when this is noticed. In addition, it is pointed out that Awolowo's argument in favour of the rule of the enlightened or articulate few (that is, those who have cultivated the regime of Mental Magnitude and have thereby banished negative emotions), makes the whole theory not truly democratic.
    [Show full text]
  • African Studies Quarterly
    African Studies Quarterly Volume 18, Issue 1 September 2018 Published by the Center for African Studies, University of Florida ISSN: 2152-2448 African Studies Quarterly | Volume 18, Issue 1| Septemmber 2018 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq African Studies Quarterly Executive Staff Editor-in-Chief Todd H. Leedy Associate Editors Mussa Idris Elon University Rahmane Idrissa University of Niamey Simon Lewis College of Charleston Richard Marcus CSU Long Beach Jan Shetler Goshen College Managing Editor Fezile Mtsetfwa Book Review Editor Nyokabi Maingi Editorial Committee Ben Burgen Ciara McLaren Elizabeth A. Carey Chesney McOmber Jessica Casimir Leandra Merz Megan Cogburn Anne Mook Amanda Edgell Collins Nunyonameh Dan Eizenga Martin Nwodo Jamie Fuller Haley Rademacher Max Gelber Riley Ravary Cady Gonzalez Audrey Smith Ryan Good Benjamin Smith Victoria Gorham Sarah Staub Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim Felicity Tackey-Otoo Eric Lake Joel Wao Jordan Mackenzie African Studies Quarterly | Volume 18, Issue 1| September 2018 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq Advisory Board Adélékè Adéèko Ohio State University Timothy Ajani Fayetteville State University Abubakar Alhassan Bayero University John W. Arthur University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Nanette Barkey Pact International Susan Cooksey University of Florida Hunt Davis University of Florida Kristin Davis International Food Policy Research Institute Parakh Hoon South Puget Sound CC Andrew Lepp Kent State University Mantoa Rose Motinyane University of Cape Town James T. Murphy Clark University Lilian Temu Osaki University of Dar es Salaam Alex Rödlach Creighton University Roos Willems Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Peter VonDoepp University of Vermont African Studies Quarterly | Volume 18, Issue 1| September 2018 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq © University of Florida Board of Trustees, a public corporation of the State of Florida; permission is hereby granted for individuals to download articles for their own personal use.
    [Show full text]
  • “Socialist” Past to Design Africa's Future Political Economy
    Revisiting Africa’s “Socialist” Past to Design Africa’s Future Political Economy Jare Oladosu Department Of Philosophy Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria [email protected] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tp.v6i1.4 Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK) New Series, Vol.6 No.1, June 2014, pp.25-47 [email protected] http://ajol.info/index.php/tp/index ISSN: 2076-7714 26 Jare Oladosu Abstract The sad reality of Africa’s socio-economic underdevelopment is beyond contention. What has been vigorously debated is the choice of a suitable political economy to lift Africa out of this historical abyss. Some have prescribed the adoption of capitalism, i.e. the free market economy. Others advocate for socialism or a centrally planned economic model. Indeed, some African thinkers, especially those of the independence era, contend that some variant of the socialist creed is indigenous to the African economic culture. Yet others have advocated some form of mixed economy, one that would synthesize elements of the capitalist system with elements of scientific socialism. In this paper, we first interrogate the idea of “African socialism”. We contend that those who promote this idea operate based on a flawed interpretation of the economic arrangement of pre-colonial African societies. We then propose the adoption of a mixed economy whose content is in part composed of two ideas derivable from a critical evaluation of the pre-colonial political economy of many African societies, namely, the land tenure system and what we describe here as a socialized public sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth
    Luminos is the Open Access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and reinvigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth Comparative Perspectives on Theory and Practice Edited by Richard T. Ashcroft and Mark Bevir UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2019 by Richard T. Ashcroft and Mark Bevir This work is licensed under a Creative Commons [CC-BY-NC-ND] license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/ licenses. Suggested citation: Ashcroft, R. T. and Bevir, M. (eds.) Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth: Comparative Perspectives on Theory and Practice. Oakland: University of California Press, 2019. DOI: https://doi. org/10.1525/luminos.73 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Ashcroft, Richard T., editor. | Bevir, Mark, editor. Title: Multiculturalism in the British Commonwealth : comparative perspectives on theory and practice / edited by Richard T. Ashcroft and Mark Bevir. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
    [Show full text]
  • A Philosophical Comparison of the Educational Thoughts of Obafemi Awolowo and Tai Solarin 61
    A Philosophical Comparison of the Educational Thoughts of Obafemi Awolowo and Tai Solarin 61 A Philosophical Comparison of the Educational Thoughts of Obafemi Awolowo and Tai Solarin Oladele Abiodun Balogun Department of Philosophy Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria [email protected] Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK) New Series, Vol.1 No.2, December 2009, pp.61-72 [email protected] OR [email protected] Abstract This paper compares the educational thoughts of Obafemi Awolowo and Tai Solarin. Its methodology is critical and comparative. The paper argues that the variations of the political philosophies of the two thinkers account for the differences in their views on education. It further contends that the educational ideas of both thinkers reflect African cultural experiences. The paper also explores the possibility of integrating the insights of the two thinkers into the educational policies and practices of contemporary African societies. Introduction The educational views of Western thinkers, be they classical, modern or contemporary, have often received celebrated acceptance by African scholars and political leaders. Notably, in West African states, there is the high tempo of following the residual paths of Western educational thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Froebel, Pentalloazi, Dewey and Sartre in the quest to formulate and implement sound educational policies. While there is nothing inherently wrong with appropriating educational ideas from non-African cultural backgrounds, what is problematic is that we are so engrossed in this trend that our own models, whatever their worth, are rarely considered. Hardly do we realize that an idea is 62 Oladele Abiodun Balogun never good in itself; rather, its worth can only be assessed in terms of whether or not it helps in meeting certain needs.
    [Show full text]