Dependency School and Its Relevance in Understanding the Nigerian State

Abstract

Over the years, African political and development scholars, writers and commentators like Walter Rodney, Andre Gunder Frank, Frantz Fanon, Samir Amin, Peter Ekeh, Claude Ake among others have blamed the Europeans for the underdevelopment of Africa. This has necessitated the evocation of Dependency theory in explaining Africa’s cum Nigeria’s underdevelopment situation.  Hence the study attempts to discuss this theme with special reference to its relevance and an understanding of the Nigerian state. Furthermore, the theory was a reaction to the modernization theory which explains a unilinear process for development in Africa. Secondary data was used specifically desk research and findings reveal that Africa cannot cast aspersions to the Europeans for its continued underdevelopment, but this can be tied majorly to its leadership inaction and bad governance. This we can see with high level of corruption, mal-administration, rent seeking and nepotism. This study further recommends that Nigeria should look inwards and take a cue from countries like China and India to develop it human and material deposits. Nigeria should jettison the mentality of colonialism and rewrite its own history itself, appropriate resources effectively towards the amelioration of the human condition, and lastly to build institutions that are transparent and accountable that will breed development and sustainable growth.

Keywords: Development, Underdevelopment, Dependency, Bad Leadership and Governance.

DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/58-01

Publication date:September 30^th 2019