A JOURNAL OF THE NETWORK FOR UTILITARIAN STUDIES REDEEMER’S UNIVERSITY, EDE. HDISSN 2787-0294 (PRINT) ISSN 2787-0308 (ONLINE) HUM ANUS DISCOURSE VOL 1. NO 2. 2021 JOURNAL EDITOR BERNARD B. FYANKA HUM ANUS DISCOURSE VOL 1. NO 2. 2021 I THE EDITORIAL OFFICE Submissions HUMANUS DISCOURSE Room 7 Faculty of Humanities, Redeemer’s University Ede, Osun State Nigeria. PMB 230, Ede [email protected] EDITOR Dr Bernard B Fyanka Department of History and International Studies Redeemer’s University Ede, Osun State Nigeria EDITORIAL BOARD Prof. Femi Adegbulu St Francis College Brooklyn New York USA Prof. Olumide Ekanade Redeemer’s University Ede, Nigeria Prof. Victor Osaro Edo Department of History University of Ibadan Prof. Akachi Odoemene Federal University Utuoke Nigeria Assoc. Prof Phoebe University of Cape Town South Africa Dr Tende Renz Tichafogwe University of Yaunde 1 Cameroun Assoc. Pr of. Tunde Decker Osun State University Nigeria Dr David Mpiima Makerere University Uganda Prof. Idowu Odebode Redeemer’s University Ede, Nigeria. Assoc. Prof. John Iwuh Redeemer’s University Ede Dr Tor Ayemga Kaduna State University Kaduna Nigeria Dr A yodeji Shittu R edeemer ’s University Ede Nigeria Asso Prof. Joshua Bolarinwa The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Lagos Nigeria ISSN 2787-0294 (PRINT) ISSN 2787-0308 (ONLINE) II ABOUT THE JOURNAL Humanus Discourse (HD) is a bi-annual peer reviewed publication of the Network for Utilitarian Studies at Faculty of Humanities Redeemer’s University Ede. The Journal seeks to curate highly valued research work in Humanities and Social Sciences and make them available to a wide interdisciplinary spectrum of academics. Its focuses on finding the synergy between Various disciplines in the Humanites/social sciences resting on Inter-disciplinary approaches that highlight the utilitarian nature of humanistic studies. FOR AUTHORS The Journal seeks original manuscripts with empirical and quantitative research in the humanities and social sciences, Book reviews, articles and methodological studies of between5000 to 8000 words. Authors can send their articles by mail to [email protected]. The Journal Prefers the Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition with footnotes and not end notes. A full referencing guide is available on our website at humanusdiscourse.website2.me All published papers in the Journal are also hosted on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) and is assigned a DOI (digital Object Identifier) This enables our authors global distribution and increased citation scores. PUBLISHERS Network for Utilitarian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Redeemer’s University Ede. [email protected] printing and distribution by Seventh Element Publishers, [email protected], http://seventelementpb.wixsite.com/mysite or http://seventelementpb.com, Phone. +2348032226424, ONLINE http://humanusdiscourse.website2.me or http://humanusdiscourse.com c All rights reserved. NUST, Redeemer’s University 2021 ISSN 2787-0294 (PRINT) ISSN 2787-0308 (ONLINE) III TABLE OF CONTENTS SIYAN OYEWESO Identity crisis, contested citizenship and the challenges of democratic governance in Nigeria since 1999 1 OGUNJEWO HENRY Obasanjo, nation building and the Commonwealth 19 AGHA RITA O, ODERANTI, O. FOLAKE, ALAO TEMILOLUWA O. Drumming as a means of Communication and Culture in Nigeria. A Study of Talking Drum 35 ALIYU M. KOLAWOLE Electoral reforms: Reducing the influence of incumbent state governors in the conduct of general elections in Nigeria 47 HANNAH M. AKPODIETE Children theatre as a driver to reawakening African morals and consciousness in the next generation. 63 OLUKAYODE R. ADÉSUYÌ Adopting Bacon’s Approach to Reconciling Internalism and Externalism Rift 72 IGBANI O. ROBBINS The presidential model and the machinery for foreign policy making. The Nigerian experience. 82 TAOFEEK DALAMU & IDOWU ODEBODE Product, image, and text communicative connections: answering a question of coherence in Nigerian print advertisements. 101 SAMUEL O. AGHALINO & WILLIAM E. ORUKPE Economic development in Esanland up to 1906: Entrepreneurship and responsiveness to change and continuity 124 TABLE OF CONTENTS JUSTUS ADIM NZEMEKA Visionary leadership in Africa: the example of Julius Nyerere of Tanzania 1922 to 1999 139 ABIODUN OLOFINSAO The aesthetics of waithood in selected African novels. 155 OLATOMIWA OLASUNKANMI ABORISADE & OLABODE JOHN OMOTOSHO The challenge of democratic governance in Nigeria: A religio-philosophical appraisal 169 ADEPOJU A. ANTHONY, RAZAAQ SHERIFF O. & ADESOJI K. ADEBAYO Insecurity and the rule of law in Nigeria: A legal appraisal of government responsibility 179 JACKSON A. ALUEDE An appraisal of frontier relations between the peoples of North Africa and the Sudanese zone of pre-colonial West Africa: A historical discourse 193 DANIELS OLUWASOLA IBITAYO Gendering agency in spirit possession of Yoruba eegun and imole 208 V VI HUMANUS DISCOURSE Vol. 1. NO 2.2021 ISSN 2787-0308 (ONLINE) Identity crisis, contested citizenship and the challenges of democratic governance in Nigeria since 1999 Professor Siyan Oyeweso Department of History and International Studies Osun State University Osogbo, Osun State Nigeria Abstract The article focuses primarily on the issue of identity and contested citizenship within the context of democratic governance in Nigeria since 1999. A deep understanding of the workings of Nigeria’s democratic terrain may not be possible without some understanding of the identity. Given the political salience of ethnic, religious, and other social forces identities, it has led to a bifurcated citizenship crisis such as the dichotomy between “settlers” and “natives” and “indigenes” and “non-indigenes” or local citizenship. These centripetal and centrifugal forces have not only has become the rule for distributing position, power, and resources in Nigeria but have also coalesced to give rise to an identity crisis and contested citizenship. Different explanations have been offered regarding the implication of the above subject matter for democratic governance. However, the article tries to subsume these explanations under the indigene-settler perspective. Hence, the emergence of federal character, quota system, and true federalism as well as several socio-economic and political crises that became heightened since the beginning of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic are the manifestation of identity and citizenship crisis. The article, therefore, articulates viewpoints that bring into forefront intellectual debate on the future of Nigeria's democratic governance amidst identity crisis and contested citizenship. The article adopts a historical research methodology and relies on secondary sources of data. Keywords: Identity, citizenship, democratic governance, Fourth Republic, Nigeria Introduction Writing the post-colonial history of Nigeria is as good as discussing identity politics, contested citizenship, and its challenges to democratic governance. This assertion is premised on the fact that after more than sixty years of independence, a question which had baffled many borders on if Nigeria can foster a common identity, citizenship, pan-Nigerian, and a sustainable democratic state.1 For instance, the dichotomy between “settlers” and “natives” and “indigenes” and “non-indigenes” or local citizenship has become the rule for distributing position, power, and resources in Nigeria. It has generated serious tensions and conflicts between “majorities” and “minorities” creating the logic 1 Joseph Yinka, Nigeria: Understanding the Contour of the Political Terrain, in Rotimi Ajayi, Joseph Yinka, ed. Nigeria Politics, Springer, 2020, 1-17 1 [email protected] , http://humanusdiscourse.website2.me HUMANUS DISCOURSE Vol. 1. NO 2.2021 ISSN 2787-0308 (ONLINE) of “we” and “them” at all levels in the country.2 In other words, issues in Nigerian politics often reflect primordial identities and questions of citizenship in which contestation overpower, position, land, religious rights, and access to state resources heightened.3 Thus, with the rebirth of democratic governance in Nigeria in 1999, there is no denying the observation that what obtains in Nigeria is a bifurcated system of citizenship by which a pan- Nigerian notion of citizenship is now marred in the ongoing democratisation process and the political mobilization of identities. In other words, identity crisis was encouraged by the inability to effectively conceptualised identity crisis. It has, therefore, introduced such principles in the constitution like the federal character and the quota systems which has promoted rather than stem ethnic and congenital problem. In addition, a strong attachment to ethnic and religious identity was encouraged by the failure of the state to promote good governance and provide democratic “dividends” that would meet the yearnings and aspirations of the citizens. More than this, the “indigene”–“settler” policy is also an instrument of political manipulation and power control by the political elite in a crisis-ridden political system.4 Since the state could not isolate itself from the politics of ethnicity, thus, it has become an instrument of oppression of other groups. Indeed, the failure of the state to mediate in the ethnic and identity crisis aggravated civil strife in such a way as to bring the country almost to the precipice of collapse and disintegration. One of the myths used to justify the dichotomy between indigenes and settlers is that “one can only belong to a particular ethnic group and by that,