Browsing by Author "Babatunde, A.O"
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY AND DEMOCRATIC TRAJECTORY IN NIGERIA(Society for Peace Studies and Practice, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria., 2014) Babatunde, A.ONigeria's democratization experiments have midwifed three republics. However, the crises which have rendered the Nigerian democracy palpable persist. Since the transition to democratic rule in 1999, Nigerian has been battling the challenges of electoral malpractices and violence. The 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections were globally adjudged to be marred by electoral fraud and violence. However, the 2011 election was adjudged by both local and international observers to be a marked improvement on previous elections in Nigeria. Yet, after the election, Nigeria has been facing serious security challenges which the government has not been able to manage. This situation poses risks not only to the country’s fragile democracy, but to internal security, stability and development. The northern part of the country has been hit by scores of bombing and shootings attributed to the Boko Haram Islamist group, which has been linked to al-Qaeda. A string of attacks has also hit Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The security challenges rather than abating, continue to escalate to the level whereby the state assumed the character of a failed state. Thus, this paper examines the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency for the democratisation process in Nigeria. Data were derived from existing studies on security and democracy in Nigeria. The paper argues that the security challenges may jeopardize the forward trajectory of democratic consolidation. Indeed, the ineffectiveness of the government in addressing the security challenges has grave implications for the positive trajectory of democratic consolidation such that Nigeria’s serious internal instability may be fatally aggravated.Item The Contradictions of Riches: Petro-Business and the Impoverished Local People in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.(Society for Peace Studies and Practice. Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan., 2019) Babatunde, A.OIn the Niger Delta, environmental degradation and pollution of the ancestral land erodes traditional livelihoods of the people. The high poverty rate in the Niger Delta in contrast with the oil wealth has become one of the world’s starkest and most disturbing examples of the “resource curse”. The increasing sense of relative deprivation experienced by the people of the Niger Delta, which is engendered by the contradiction of riches, has led to youth militancy, government and oil-companies’ brutal repression. This study explores how oil exploitation by oil-multinational fuels a vicious cycle of poverty and inequalities in the region. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with key informants, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and extant literature, the study argues that Petro-business has generated huge profit for the government and oil-multinationals and provided oil for the global community, while on the other hand it has resulted in a vicious cycle of poverty and inequalities among the local communities that replicate the asymmetric power dynamics between the government, oil multinational and the host communities in the Niger Delta region. The intricate poverty strategies designed and implemented in the Niger Delta have not mitigated the crucial problems of exclusion, inequalities and human deprivation.Item The Impact of Oil Exploitation on the Socio-Economic Livelihood of Ilaje-Ugbo People of Ondo State, Nigeria.(Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan., 2006) Babatunde, A.OThe oil producing areas of the Nigeria’s Niger Delta remain increasingly under threat from rapidly deteriorating economic and environmental conditions as well as social tension. This situation culminated in the perennial conflict and violence that have characterized the region. This paper examines the socio-economic impacts of oil exploitation on the area of study. Methodology adopted to elicit data includes direct observation, focus group discussion (FGD), in-depth interviews and review of extant literature. The paper concludes that prospects for the development of the oil producing areas would require a critical policy review. Any effort to eradicate poverty in the oil producing areas must seek to revive and revitalize the traditional economic activities. Providing viable employment opportunities for the people, particularly the youth, and channeling their energies into the development of sustained livelihoods as well as natural resource management activities can reduce current tensions and conflict in the oil producing areas.Item Managing Environmental Conflict in the Oil-producing Areas of the Niger Delta, Nigeria(Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, 2010) Babatunde, A.OIn the process of extracting oil in the oil producing areas of the Niger Delta, Nigeria in the past four decades, ecological devastation on the one hand and neglect arising from crude oil production on the other hand has left much of the Niger Delta desolate, uninhabitable and poor. This study critically examines the Nigerian Federal Government management of the Niger Delta crisis through its interventionist agencies in order to determine whether they have succeeded in reducing the level of poverty, thereby improving the living and environmental conditions in the oil producing areas of the Niger Delta, Nigeria.Item Oil and Violent Conflict in Africa(Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, 2014) Babatunde, A.OThere have been violent scrambles to control oil wealth in Angola, Algeria, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. This paper examines the linkages between oil and violent conflict in selected African countries. The author reviews extant literature on armed conflicts in oil-dependent African countries and explore what could be done to address it. The paper argues that the possession of oil resources and the revenues that accrue to governments from the exploitation of this resource exacerbate conflict and lead to war largely because of poor governance and corruption by states actors. Oil wealth has not been equitably distributed for the benefit of the people. However, if these African governments are transparent and accountable in the management of their oil revenue for the welfare of the people, this will likely reduce the incidence of armed conflicts in these countries. There is no innateness of natural resources that compel conflict. It is rather the hegemonic struggles between superordinated and subordinated groups and the nature of management and appropriation of resources that engender conflict.Item Socio-economic Disparities and the Phenomenon of Modern Day Slavery in Nigeria(Faculty of Social Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, 2019) Babatunde, A.OThe prevalence of modern slavery in Africa is emblematic of the global social economic inequalities between the rich countries in the global South and the poorer countries in the global North. In Africa, Nigeria ranked among the countries with the highest number of people living in global slavery. Therefore this study examined the challenges of combating modern day slavery in Nigeria in the context of global inequalities. Drawing on extant studies, the study argued that the lack of effective measures and collaboration by global, regional and national governments and organisations, to deal with the challenges of ‘modern slavery’ linked to transnational organised crime groups, continue to aggravate the menace in Nigeria and other African countries.Modern day slavery may be difficult to combat unless there is restructuring of the current international order, along with increased international cooperation to tackle the menace and the negative implications for national, regional and global security.Item Transnational Crime and Nigeria’s National Security: Combating Trafficking in Women and Children.(John Archers for the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria., 2013) Babatunde, A.OHuman trafficking is a major problem confronting virtually every country in the world. Internationally, trafficking in persons has been identified as a serious threat to human security and development by governments, pressure groups and the United Nations. In Africa, Nigerian groups dominate the organised human trafficking networks in Nigeria? in the continent? , thereby constituting a major security challenge to the Nigerian government. Therefore, this paper examines human trafficking as a form of transnational organised crime and its implications for both national and human security in Nigeria. It analyses the major causes, consequences as well as the challenges in combating trafficking in women and children. Methodology is based on secondary sources such as books, journals, magazines and newspaper articles. How effective are the efforts of government and what are the challenges encountered in the fight against trafficking in women and children? The approach so far adopted by the Nigerian government in fighting trafficking has not been effective. It is argued that apart from addressing the structural factors such as poverty, high unemployment rate, corruption among others, it is also vital to initiate closer collaboration between source and destination countries. Indeed, there is a need for decisive and comprehensive actions to curb the menace of human trafficking.