Nigeria celebrated 60 years of independence from Britain in 2020. At independence, Nigeria was said to have great potential for accelerated development: a large youthful population, flourishing agricultural sector, an equable climate, a fairly technocratic civil service, educated crop of leaders adjudged to be more sensible than other African nationalists who opted for socialism. Besides the agricultural produce, there was hint that there were mineral deposits, tin, gold, columbite, coal and limestone. Petroleum was discovered in the colonial period; not in commercial quantities, though. So the future for an independent Nigeria was seen as bright. Sixty years after independence, however, the Nigerian economy remains below its endowment profile. It cannot compare favourably with Asian countries such as Malaysia, Korea, and Japan, that were at the same or lower economic levels with the country in 1960. Nigerian products, except oil, hardly enter into world trade statistics. Why? Does Nigerian economic history matter? Has the Nigerian economy always been underperforming since pre-colonial times or does it have to do with the external factor of age-long imperialism or internal factors such as postcolonial leadership failures with manifestations in poor economic policy choices, natural resource dependence, devastating conflicts, among others? Is it a combination of some or all of these factors? What happens when a traditional society encounters “modernity”? Even within a country, what happens when the means of production changes or new inventions upturn the way of life of a people? One does not have to subscribe to the “economic determinism” school to know that the way a people organize themselves to provide for their everyday needs—production, distribution, consumption and exchange—reveals a lot about whatever else is happening to their social life as a whole.
Scholars from the humanities, developmental and social sciences, among others, are hereby invited to join in this comprehensive investigation of the history of Nigeria’s economic development since the 1800s, guided by the subthemes below.
PERIODS AND SUBTHEMES
- Pre-1900 (West Coast of Africa. How people lived and survived in that environment before 1900)
Editors: Prof. Sati Fwatshak of Uni-JOS (Economic History) & co.
- Peoples of the West Coast of Africa, their cultures and way of life in the 1800s
- Trade along the Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Slave coast, Oil Rivers Protectorate, Gulf of Benin and Gulf of Biafra
- Reasons and impact of political, social and cultural developments in different parts of the “Nigeria environment” before 1900
- Local technologies and the economy in the 1800s
- Food production and consumption, and their implications on ecological patterns
- The distribution and exchange of goods and services in the 1800s
- Arab intrusion into ‘Nigeria’ for commercial trade, slave trade and human trafficking
- Life from the era of the Atlantic Slave Trade to the Oil Rivers Protectorate
- The Trans Saharan Slave Trade / Slave Trade across the Sudan and impact on the Habe states
- Impact of pre-colonial lifestyle on population growth and dispersion, land tenure system, allocation of power and authority (politics), war and peace
- Role of the Maxim gun and internal migration of peoples across the ‘Nigerian’ space
- The changing nature of agriculture as a result of the Trans Atlantic and Trans Sahara Slave Trades and their abolition
- The clash between the Wilberforce doctrine of alternate legal trade with the victims of the slave trade as equal partners and the Colonial doctrine of maximum economic exploitation of the new colonies
- The aftermaths of the abolition of slave trade and the development of Nigerian diaspora communities in South America, the West Indies, the West Coast and South east coasts of Africa
- The transition to legitimate trade and effects on local (and international) economy
- Economic impact of Christianity in the Bights of Benin and Biafra; & above the Rivers Niger and Benue
- The import of the mission motif of ‘the Bible and the sickle’ from the Wilberforce doctrine of ameliorating the injustice of slavery through spiritual and economic empowerment
- The missionary factor in the development of education, agriculture and technical skills acquisition for commerce, industrial and economic development
- Islam in ‘Nigeria’ in the 1800s / Clash between Dan Fodio and Shehu el- Kanemi
- Life from the era of the jihads to the establishment of the Northern Protectorate
- Contributions of freed slaves from the West Indies, Liberia and Sierra Leone (etc) to the economic development of Nigeria.
- 1900—1914 (From Colonization to Amalgamation)
Editor: Dr. Patrick Ukase of Kogi State University, Anyigba (Political History).
- From imperialism to colonialism
- Economic activities of Nigeria’s indigenous communities at the onset of colonialism in 1900
- The Royal Niger Company and the emergence of Nigeria
- Contributions of eminent Nigerians in the early trade and economic development of Nigeria
- Urbanization, commerce, and the arrival of STDs in Nigeria, 1900-1914
- Impact of colonization on the economic trajectories of Nigeria’s indigenous communities, 1900-1914
- Indigenous technology and Nigeria’s development trajectory, 1900-1914
- Colonialism and Nigeria’s industrial development, 1900-1914
- Colonialism and infrastructural development in Nigeria, 1900-1914
- Colonialism and development of Nigeria’s financial sector, 1900-1914
- International trading companies and Nigeria’s economic development, 1900-1914
- Colonial economic interests and Nigeria’s development trajectory, 1900-1914
- From Barter to money and Banks: The Transition to money economy and disarticulation of Nigeria’s economic development, 1900-1914 (the Northern Nigeria experience)
- ‘Locanationalization’: Political amalgamation and the economic integration in Nigeria in the 1900s.
- The State and economic formation in Nigeria in early colonial times, 1900-1914
- The Amalgamation treaty and its impact on the economic and political development of Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria
- 1914—January 1970 (From Amalgamation to End of the Civil war)
Editor: Prof. Terhemba Wuam of Kaduna State University (History) & Dr. U. B. Okpevra of Delta State University, Abraka (Conflict History/Intergroup Relations).
- From Barter to money and Banks: The Transition to money economy and disarticulation of Nigeria’s economic development, 1900-1914 (the Eastern and Western Nigeria experiences)
- The impact of the two world wars on the Nigerian/colonial economy
- The Levantines and the colonial economy
- Colonialism and Nigeria’s industrial development, 1914-1970
- Impact of fiscal federalism on the development of the regions
- Regional agricultural productivity in Nigeria
- Regional diversification and institutional mechanisms for development (Example, ENDC, NNDC, Regional Loans Boards and others)
- Sources of revenue and government spending (with statistical analysis)
- The politics of development planning 1962 to 1968, including the first and second National Development Plans
- The rapid economic and industrial development dreams and visions of our founding fathers for Nigeria and the regions; and their actualization plans from pre independence to 1966.
- The rapid meteoric economic development and industrial advancement strides in Nigeria in the decade of 1956 – 1966 in the West, East and North of Nigeria
- Economic philosophies of indigenous political parties
- Economic development policies of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Francis Akanu Ibiam, M. I. Okpara, Odumegwu Ojukwu (Eastern Region); Jeraton Mariere, Dennis Osadebey, David Ejoor (Mid-Western Region); Ahmadu Bello, Kashim Ibrahim, Hassan Katsina (Northern Region); Adesoji Aderemi, Samuel Akintola, Moses Majekodunmi, Joseph Fadahunsi (Western Region); Muhammadu Ribadu, Musa Yar’Adua, Mobolaji Ohofunso Johnson (Lagos Colony)
- Obafemi Awolowo and the economic and political development of Western Region
- Gowon’s Decree of 1969 (abolishing fiscal federalism and replacing it with revenue allocation formulae)
- The social and economic impacts of oil drilling on the host communities (case studies)
- National Planning and Revenue Allocation
- Traditional economic institutions and imposed (modern) institutions
- Traditional religious beliefs in relation to changing economic systems and social structures
- Identity, citizenship question and patriotism: the role of money, trade and industry
- The economies of Eastern, Northern, Western, Mid-Western Regions between 1960 to1967
- Nigeria’s economy 1960 to1966; and 1967 to 1970
- Post-independence economy and foreign-backed imperial commerce (UAC, Barclays and Levantine traders)
- Ironsi Unification Decree of 1966 and its economic implications
- Educational advancement of the regions, social and economic mobility and the Nigerian Civil War
- War-time economic policies of Yakubu Gowon and Obafemi Awolowo
- The rise and impact of Petroleum Revenue on the Nigerian Civil War
- 1970—1985 (From End of the Civil War to End of National Planning Scheme)
Editor: Dr. Anthony Orji, UNN (Development Economics/Finance).
- The Political economy of the Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agenda and its implication for the economy of different regions
- Development of the oil industry in Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria and Northern Nigeria
- Oil boom and development of agricultural sector in Eastern: Resource Cause or Curse?
- The impact of the default implementation of the recommendations of the Udoji Salaries and wages commission that recommended salaries and wages upward review as well as productivity and merit based reward system. (The salaries review was adopted and executed but not the productivity and merit based reward system. The effect of this on national productivity reward system and human resources management culture should be fully addressed.
- Paradox of scarcity amidst plenty: Oil boom and poverty levels in Eastern, Western, Mid Western and Northern Nigeria
- The World Bank and Multilateral Development Agenda in Eastern Nigeria
- The more you give; the less you get: Impact of Resource Abundance and Revenue Sharing Formula on Eastern Nigeria
- Impact of fiscal federalism on economic development in Eastern Nigeria and beyond
- Economic diversification in Nigeria and the Eastern Nigeria experience
- Impact of revenue sources and revenue allocation on economic development of Eastern Nigeria
- Social and economic impacts of oil drilling on the Niger-Delta region and elsewhere
- Impact of oil revenue on the agricultural sector and economic development of Eastern Nigeria
- Governance and economic development in the different regions
- The downward economic and industrial development in Nigeria during the military interregnum
- 1985—2000 (Trial-and-Error Policies & Primitive Accumulation of Wealth)
Editor: Dr. Umar Bala of Bauchi State University, Gadan (Energy & Petroleum Economics) & Emmanuel Eze of UNN (Geography)
- Revenue allocation and national planning and their impacts
- A critical look at state creation and the economy of Nigeria and the new states
- The Third Republic and the death of the rapid economic and industrial development of Nigeria envisioned by our founding fathers
- The development of the Nigerian stock market and the phenomenal financial engineering that created the merchant banking, mega banks and business moguls
- The banking industry crises from the late 1990s
- Contributions of regional and national economic and financial managers
- Industrialization policies and incentives for small, medium and large-scale enterprises
- International growth targets and the impact on Nigerian economy
- The social and economic divide between the North and South of Nigeria: causes and effects
- Military regimes in Nigeria and the impacts on economic development
- Structural Adjustment Programme and the economy of different regions in Nigeria
- Impacts of Nigeria’s external debt burden on Nigerian economy
- Undiversified economic base of Nigeria: Causes and effects
- Attraction of foreign private investment into the various sectors of the economy: The journey so far
- Effects of the industrialization policies of this period on national/regional economic development
- Strict market systems and Structural Adjustment Programmes during this period and their economic impacts
- Impacts of privatization during this period
- Technological advancement and economic development
- The rise of geopolitical zones and their economic impacts
- Effects of greed and corruption on the Nigerian economy
- The social and economic impacts of oil drilling on host communities
- Nigeria’s rising poverty index
- The rise of Boko Haram, Nigerian refugees and IDP’s and their economic implications
- 2000—2021 (Nigeria’s Economy in the New Millennium)
Editors: Prof. Egodi Uchendu of UNN (Social History) & Augustine Atabor of UNN (Philosophy)
- Politics and democratization in the Fourth Republic and the Nigerian economy
- The national debt
- Nigerian agency in the imperial economy: local initiatives and the development of indigenous entrepreneurship
- Environmental (Desertification)/economic wars
- Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world
- The Role of History in understanding the dynamics of economic development in Nigeria
- Relevant issues bordering on the economy of the regions, geopolitical zones and the country at large
- Technological advancement and economic development
- Energy, science and technology infrastructure for economic development
- COVID-19 and the economy
- Proposed pathway(s) for economic development of Eastern Nigeria in the twenty-first century
- Other related topics.
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Also click on the link to see the full call for paper:
Call for Paper CFP-Economic Development History-Oct 2021
Guidelines
Interested authors should please be guided by the various time frames. (While each number can be taken as a literal topic, it can also serve as a guide to articulate topics from.) Abstracts of not more than 200 words should be submitted to egodi.uchendu@unn.edu.ng by 30 November 2021.
- Authors should specify the period and sub-theme of choice; provide full institutional address, emails and phone numbers; and 5-6 keywords.
- Use Times New Roman Font 12 with 1.5 line spacing.
- Full papers should be 6000 words maximum (excluding Footnotes and Bibliography)
- House Documentation Style: The Chicago Manual of Style.
See samples from https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
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Project Coordinators
Prof. Egodi Uchendu
08039617898
Prof. Sati Fwatshak
unijos.academia.edu/SATIFWATSHAK
08034514996
