Abstract
What factors account for the surge in social movements in Nigeria and what are the implications for democratization? Who have been the actors and what internal and external dynamics are reconfiguring the materiality of social movements? How is the state responding to the dramatic fluidity and frequency in movements? And what strategies have civil societies used to harness the potentials in social movements for sustainable democratization? Through a political economy approach, oral interviews with NGO leaders, leaders of human rights and pro-democracy activists, interviews with some citizens, and use of journals, newspapers, magazines and reports, this study interrogates and documents the changing contours of social movements in Nigeria since the return to civil rule on 29 May, 1999. The authors observe that contemporary Nigeria has seen a spasmodic rise in social movements occasioned by international and local donor support, improved political and rights awareness, globalization and social media. It draws largely from recent national movements, such as the OccupyNigeria, Bring Back Our Girls and EndSars movements, to show how social movements have helped in Nigeria’s democratization. The role of radical government policy reforms, advocacy, transparency and accountability in the struggle for social change have also been discussed. We discuss also how pro-democracy activists and social media have helped to widen the scope, framing and intensity of movements, amidst government action to curb the activities of social movements. We have shown how infiltration of movements by state-hired agents has stemmed and weakened the actors and their movements. The article discusses how protesters, fake news and the deployment of paid influencers have helped to generate fake contents to discredit actors and protesters. The role of the police through denial of permits and the effect of arrests of protesters are also discussed. The paper ends with an observation of how government’s radical strategies have deeply and negatively undermined the credibility and sustainability of Nigeria’s social movements.
Recommended Citation
Adum-Kyeremeh, Kwame and Abah, Danladi
(2024)
"Social Movements and Democratization in Nigeria since 1999: The Search for Good Governance and Justice,"
Journal of African Policy Studies: Vol. 30:
No.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/joaps/vol30/iss1/6