Towards Decolonising African Political Values: A Critique of the Dominant Political Views and Practices in Nigeria

Since independence, the political systems in African states have been western in character, and have, consequently, failed to synchronise with their peculiar realities, resulting in political crises, coups, and developmental woes. Nigeria – Africa’s largest democracy – is one of the states replete...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Isma'il Husain Mshelia, A. G. Umar Kari, Basit Badmus Akolade
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Hradec Králové 2025-07-01
Series:Modern Africa
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Online Access:https://journals.uhk.cz/modernafrica/article/view/507
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Summary:Since independence, the political systems in African states have been western in character, and have, consequently, failed to synchronise with their peculiar realities, resulting in political crises, coups, and developmental woes. Nigeria – Africa’s largest democracy – is one of the states replete with colonially induced contradictions, controversies and developmental conundrum, and is the central focus of this paper. Using desk review of qualitative data, the paper establishes that Western political values operate more as liabilities than assets in Africa, hence the need for complete decolonisation – a multifaceted project that transcends the transfer of sovereignty. In line with a scholarly tradition that advocates the resurgence of functional African values, the paper makes a case for reforming African states’ structures, political systems, and economic systems as the surest route to completing the decolonisation project.
ISSN:2336-3274
2570-7558