Labour Migrations
Politics of Indigeneity and Nation-Building in Nigeria
In: International Journal on Minority and Group RightsSearch for other papers by Okonkwo C. Eze in
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Abstract
This study examined how labour migrations, which provide a veritable platform for nation-building, has been thwarted in Nigeria by the political elite through the politics of indigene-settler phenomenon. Though extant studies had examined the indigene-settler syndrome, the prospects of labour migration for nation-building in the country, which this entails, has been understudied. This paper, therefore, provides an insightful investigation into how the intricate web of politics of inclusion, exclusion, and deprivations between the indigenes and labour migrants or settlers in various states has tended to thwart nation-building efforts in the country. The study argues that the indigene-settler phenomenon undermines the facilitative capacity of labour migration for the actualization of the nation’s productive potentials and the construction of a common nationhood. It found that the indigene-settler syndrome is an elite construct to advance and protect their economic and political interests within the polity. It further contends that the elite’s coincidence of interests over scarce resources leads to inter-elite competition in which the indigeneity card is deployed as a potent politico-economic tool to gain advantage over contending elites. The study advocates for inclusive politics as the route to true nationhood devoid of mistrust, fears of marginalization and acrimonious competition for power.
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| Abstract Views | 94 | 94 | 21 |
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Labour Migrations
Politics of Indigeneity and Nation-Building in Nigeria
In: International Journal on Minority and Group RightsSearch for other papers by Okonkwo C. Eze in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Bright E. Nwamuo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Jude Uwakwe Eke in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Echara Ambrose Echara in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Elias C. Ngwu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This study examined how labour migrations, which provide a veritable platform for nation-building, has been thwarted in Nigeria by the political elite through the politics of indigene-settler phenomenon. Though extant studies had examined the indigene-settler syndrome, the prospects of labour migration for nation-building in the country, which this entails, has been understudied. This paper, therefore, provides an insightful investigation into how the intricate web of politics of inclusion, exclusion, and deprivations between the indigenes and labour migrants or settlers in various states has tended to thwart nation-building efforts in the country. The study argues that the indigene-settler phenomenon undermines the facilitative capacity of labour migration for the actualization of the nation’s productive potentials and the construction of a common nationhood. It found that the indigene-settler syndrome is an elite construct to advance and protect their economic and political interests within the polity. It further contends that the elite’s coincidence of interests over scarce resources leads to inter-elite competition in which the indigeneity card is deployed as a potent politico-economic tool to gain advantage over contending elites. The study advocates for inclusive politics as the route to true nationhood devoid of mistrust, fears of marginalization and acrimonious competition for power.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 94 | 94 | 21 |
| Full Text Views | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 7 | 7 | 0 |