Papers by Oladapo Opasina
Journal of African Elections, Oct 1, 2017
Democratic elections in Africa have drawn significant international interest because of their ten... more Democratic elections in Africa have drawn significant international interest because of their tendencies to generate conflict and violence. Unfortunately, this is not likely to change in the near future, especially with the prevalence of one-party dominance, electoral malpractices, patrimonial leadership and election violence in a number of African countries. Against this background the paper carries out a comparative analysis of presidential elections in Nigeria and South Africa between 1993 and 2016. It focuses specifically on their experiences with election violence, one-party dominance, voter dynamics, and how both countries rate against key global democratic indicators. In doing so, the underlying research question seeks to understand how both countries differ from these variables and what factors contribute to these differences. Using secondary data and responses to the National Democratic Institute (NDI) indicators, the paper argues that while both countries are key players within their respective regions, various factors are responsible for why they differ in their experiences with elections in particular and the democratic process in general. In carrying out an extensive empirical review of relevant literature, this paper is a starting point for comparing the state of democracy in two of the strongest economies on the African continent. The paper also attempts to understand the more recent and urgent experiences and the challenges of democracy in these two contexts. Finally, it presents objectives and challenges for the present and the future.
It is generally assumed that African states have yet to explore the full potential of their tradi... more It is generally assumed that African states have yet to explore the full potential of their traditional institutions and the specific role that society wants them to play in modern states. While focusing on Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, this empirical research seeks to explore legal pluralism in modern African democracy. The study specifically answers the research question: is the traditional justice system applicable to Nigerians and Ivorians in contemporary dispensation? The study finds out that a significant population at the grassroots rely on the traditional justice system, when compared with their counterparts in the cities. The rural population argues that the formal justice system is quite expensive and that the legal procedures are difficult to understand, coupled with the fact that court houses are mostly located in the cities. On the other hand, the gender-biased and male-dominated outlook of the traditional justice mechanism and its proneness to external influences, as well...
International Journal on World Peace, 2016
INTRODUCTIONTraditional institutions arc the old-est and most enduring institutions of governance... more INTRODUCTIONTraditional institutions arc the old-est and most enduring institutions of governance, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa like Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon. According to Orji and Olali (2010), traditional institutions are established based on native laws and customs, and thereby constituting indigenous social and political arrangements. Mengisteab (2005:285) suggests that African societies in the pre-colonial era had effective political and socio-economic institutions that were charged with law-making, conflict resolution, resource allocations and social control. Furthermore, Mohammed (2006) proposes that comprehensively, traditional institutions should include traditional leaders, royal families, council of chiefs, traditional security members, as well as royal historians and praise-singers. As the name implies, traditional institution is simply built upon or based on history, ancestry, culture, custom, religion and values of the people, and the instit...
International Social Science Journal
International Social Science Journal
International Social Science Journal
It is generally assumed that African states have yet to explore the full potential of their tradi... more It is generally assumed that African states have yet to explore the full potential of their traditional institutions and the specific role that society wants them to play in modern states. While focusing on Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, this empirical research seeks to explore legal pluralism in modern African democracy. The study specifically answers the research question: is the traditional justice system applicable to Nigerians and Ivorians in contemporary dispensation? The study finds out that a significant population at the grassroots rely on the traditional justice system, when compared with their counterparts in the cities. The rural population argues that the formal justice system is quite expensive and that the legal procedures are difficult to understand , coupled with the fact that court houses are mostly located in the cities. On the other hand, the gender-biased and male-dominated outlook of the traditional justice mechanism and its proneness to external influences, as well as the impact of modern religions, have continued to propel a considerable population (especially in urban areas) to patronize the formal justice system. Meanwhile, the adoption of western institutions of government by African states has forced traditional institutions to occupy the back seat. Hence, there is a mixed social environment wherein both formal and traditional justice systems are weak, and the states being weak themselves are significantly responsible for the weakness of traditional institutions. Consequently, flaws in both justice systems have compelled people to take the law into their own hands and to resort to jungle justice.
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Papers by Oladapo Opasina