Browsing by Author "Akinola, Samson Ranti"

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Coping with Infrastructural Deprivation Through Collective Action Among Rural People in Ife Region, Nigeria
(2004) Akinola, Samson Ranti
"The failure of the state to address the problems of rural infrastructure in Ife region led to the adoption of self-governing techniques by the people through collective action. Using Institutional Analysis Development (IAD) framework the paper confirms the invaluable capabilities of human cooperation and collective action by exploring the conditions and how rural people can go beyond their own self-interests to cooperate with others for common good. The study shows that rural people can organize and govern themselves based on appropriate institutional arrangements, mutual agreements and share understanding. In 24 rural communities, self-organized arrangements in the provision and maintenance of rural infrastructural facilities accounts for about $262,000.00 (93.0%) of the total figure thus constitute the prime mover for rural facilities development, while Local Governments spent about $13,000.00 (7.0%). The communities, through self-organizing and self-governing capabilities, have planned and executed several public goods and services that directly touch the lives of their people. The public goods are: roads, health, education, market, electricity, water, postal service, hall, and police post. The lesson we can learn from these institutions is how they are able to mobilize and use the resources without any body embezzling or diverting them for private selfish ends. The concern is that if these institutions are so accountable to their members we should begin to conceptualize how they can be used to re-constitute order from the bottom and to serve as alternatives to the state structure of governance."
Derivation Principle Dilemma and National (Dis)Unity in Nigeria: A Polycentric Planning Perspective on the Niger Delta
(2011) Akinola, Samson Ranti; Adesopo, Ayo
"Military incursion into Nigerian politics unilaterally abrogated derivation principle that existed before the discovery of oil in commercial quantities and imposed an authoritarian and centralized fiscal system. The paper traces the poverty and human misery in the Niger Delta to three factors: (1) unresponsive government policy, (2) inadequate finance and (3) corruption and low public morality among government officials operating in the Niger Delta. The centralized fiscal system has acted as a set back on the progress of the Niger Delta where most of the countrys revenues are derived. As expected, agitations for inclusiveness on the part of the people has led to several crises. In order to resolve the challenge of derivation and governance crisis in the Niger Delta, this paper derives some lessons from American federalism, Alaskas oil experience and Eastern and Southern African wildlife conservation programmes. Recent indications show that there exists robust and resilient associational life in the Niger Delta, which are imperative for igniting a shared community of understanding, and for valorizing the process of true federalism and democratisation in the region. Using polycentric institutional mechanism, this paper, therefore, proposes African Community-Initiatives and Development (ACID) Model for streamlining the activities and operations of formal institutions and self-governing institutions in the Niger Delta."
Reconnecting Self-Organising Institutions to the Formal Government Structure for Real Governance Impact in Nigeria
(2014) Akinola, Samson Ranti; Adesopo, Ayo
"The crisis of democratization in Nigeria has its roots in the centralised planning, monocratic decision making and repressive institutional arrangements the country adopted at independence in 1960, which invariably lack a common thought between the assembly and the electorate. This is because indices of democracy and development have constantly eluded the electorate especially in the last ten years. Most socio-economic and political decisions in Nigeria did not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the poor simply because of the persistent and widening gaps between decision makers (the rich people) and the governed (the poor). Accordingly, the residents have learnt not to rely on governments, instead they have devised several coping strategies through self-organizing arrangements that draw inspirations from their culture and traditions. This paper critically examines how poor people craft shared strategies and problem solving interdependencies from their old traditions to address problems of daily life by providing and maintaining infrastructure such as schools, health facilities, road networks etc. At the same time, the tenets of democracy exhibited by these self-governing institutions as well as their contributions to socio-economic development have made them highly relevant to governance of community affairs. This paper, therefore, suggests polycentric planning and institutional arrangements capable of mainstreaming or reconnecting these self-organising or people-centred institutions into socio-economic and political decision making so that the poor in Nigeria can participate effectively in decisions that concern their lives, thus entrenching self-governance in Nigerias democratisation project. It is in the light of this exigency that this paper adopts African Public Sphere Restructuring Model (APSRM) that could help in restructuring the public sphere for synergy and African Electoral Reform and Democratisation (AERD) for inclusive democratisation."
Restructuring the Public Sphere for Social Order in the Niger Delta through Polycentric Planning: What Lessons for Africa?
(2010) Akinola, Samson Ranti
"The increasing deprivation, neglect and orchestrated politics of exclusion by the Nigerian-state against the people of the Niger Delta can be traced to the structurally-defective and centralized governance arrangements in the Niger Delta. The consequent stiff resistance, violent reactions militancy and hostage taking triggered by this politics of exclusion in the region have confirmed that people matter in politics. This paper argues that in some ways, the weakness of centralized and structurally-defective governance in the Niger Delta provides an opportunity for community self-governing institutions to play the role that governments and their agencies have abandoned. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, this paper engages in problem solving and solution seeking strategies that could help restructure the public sphere in the Niger Delta. This paper demonstrates principles and practices needed to make polycentric planning, self-governance and adaptive development strategies resolve socio-economic and political crisis. It is in light of this exigency that this paper develops an African Public Sphere Restructuring Model (APSRM) that derives inspirations and workability mechanisms from twelve African development models that cut across several sectors of the economy in the Niger Delta."