Reviews the book Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World, by John N. Paden.  Published by the United States Institute of Peace Press, 2008

Adesina, Oluwakemi Abiodun

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Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, PerspectiveVolume 4Number 2 Alliance of Civilizations: Turkey at theCrossroadsArticle 11June 2010Book Review: Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeriaas a Pivotal State in the Muslim WorldOluwakemi Abiodun AdesinaOsun State University, oluwakemiadesina@yahoo.comFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jgiThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal ofGlobal Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information,please contact digitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.Recommended CitationAdesina, Oluwakemi Abiodun (2010) "Book Review: Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World,"Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective: Vol. 4 : No. 2 , Article 11.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jgi/vol4/iss2/11Journal of Global Initiatives 4(2) (2009). pp. 301-303Book ReviewJohn N. Paden. (2008). Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria asa Pivotal State in the Muslim World. Washington, D.C.: UnitedStates Institute of Peace Press. xii + 140 pages. ISBN 978-1-601270-29-0Oluwakemi Abiodun AdesinaOsun State University, Osogbo, NigeriaA confluence of local and global events beginning from the late 1980s hascontributed to the rise in influence of the global jihadists. Several groups haveturned local discontent into a .global call for action, thereby, in several cases,effectively linking national and international insurgent objectives. It is within thiscontext that this book should be understood. Nigeria becomes a subject of thisstudy in its position not only as the "least known of the Muslim world's 'pivotalstates" but also in its "role as the dominant African state, its extraordinary influencein West~Africa, its significance as a major world oil producer, and its experiencewith democratic rule since 1999, which makes it "a critical country, especiallyin its relations with the United States" (pp.3-4). The book explores the pathwaysto understanding the politics and religious aspects of this country within thecontext of international security and economic development. In its six chapters,this volume draws on the over four decades of living and teaching experience ofJohn Paden in Nigeria to articulate and offer a brilliant interpretation ofNigerianrealities. Paden particularly sets out to answer the question; "Does Nigeria'sinfluence and significance extend beyond its immediate regional environment?"He also poses the mind boggling question of Nigeria's continuing existence as aSingle and united entity with its "ethno linguistic and religious diversity:'Paden leaves no doubt as to the relevance of the demographics, urbanization,religion, ethnicity, education, agriculture, industry, oil, income distribution andthe connotations of all these in a global world. It is against this backdrop that heinvestigates the import and possibly the influence of Nigeria as a "pivotal" statewithin the African, Muslim, and global framework. He explores the key roles of302 Journal of Global InitiativesNigeria in Africa and the wider world, taking into consideration the interestingdemographic component groups of the Nigerian State that is almost equallydivided between Christians and Muslims. In this book, Paden illustrates that theapproximate parity in religious demographics ofthe country has made it a pivotalstate in global village particularly due to its large and increasing population. Inthe age of terrorism, this becomes very worrisome. In recent years, several partsof the Third World have been wracked by terrorism and political violence that areoffshoots of the so-called «clash of civilizations:' The rise of al-Qaeda has createdthreats from sub-state groups in the form of transnational terrorism. Severalmembers of the group are convinced of the merit of their internationalist causeand are always ready to capitalize on the lessons learned from interactions withthe global jihadist movement. The problem is no longer whether terrorists willstrike but which nation is the next to move into the orbit of the internationalistjihad. The author worries about Nigeria in this regard.The subsequent sections ofthe book draw attention not only to the importanceof Nigeria but convincingly argue for the United States not to push Nigeria (andby extension, Nigerians) on the path of infamy. In particular, the author calls theattention of the United States of America (U.S.A.) to this seemingly unsuspecting«potentially disruptive extremist religious elements" (p.l03) in its fight againstglobal terror, urging the U.S. not to concentrate on the oil rich· Niger Deltadebacle alone.These accounts are detailed, constructive, and informative, and are clearlypresented and written in simple and fluid language. The excellent piece of worksticks very much to the relevance of Nigeria in a global context. Though animportant contribution to knowledge, this work appears to be largely djrectedat the government and peoples of the United States of America, and possibly auseful guide for Nation building in Nigeria and other countries of the world withsimilar religious and ethno linguistic concerns.This book, an indispensable volume in the ongoing discussions on Islam,global terrorism and Nigeria's internal problems, concludes with an advice to theU.S. government: «do no harm" (p.125) to Nigeria. However, the author's morestringent advice comes from the position that the U.S. should be more sensitiveto local realities in the Nigerian State than is currently evident. One very strikingrecommendation of the author that stands out is this:The United States needs to engage and normalize its relationswith Nigeria at all levels. It must not be pulled into the trap ofrelying on political actors in Abuja (or in diaspora) to targetthose who may turn out to be opposition leaders. The basicrequirements for engagement are clear. It should encourageAdesi na: Book Review 303the professional language capabilities of those in the foreignservice, especially Hausa, which is the lingua franca in the north;create opportunities for interaction of Americans and Nigerians(including Muslims) through improvements in the visa process;keep the needs of the oil industry in perspective with regardto overall relations; come to grips with the need for deeperunderstanding of Islam in West Africa, and especially Nigeria;and set an example of tolerance between people of the book-athome and abroad (p.126).The book's solid empirical contribution, in a period consistently described asthe age of global terrorism, guarantees it a continued relevance, most especiallyin the aftermath of the attempt by a young Nigerian Muslim man, FaroukAbdulmuttalab to blow up a Delta airline flight in Detroit, Michigan on December25,2009.

Book Review: Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World

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Book Review: Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World

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