Abstract
Adoption of the colonial template of governance by successive postcolonial governments in Nigeria has limited the ambit of transitional justice, rendering it incapable of addressing the root causes of systematic abuses and conflict in the country. Pathologies of colonial injustice and violence were transmitted into governance in the postcolony and this structural continuity has locked down the prospect of justice and reforms as an integral part of the governance complex. Critical analysis of the Nigerian experience calls attention to the need for transitional justice theory and praxis to engage with the colonial legacy in nonsettler, postcolonial societies. Understanding and engaging with the colonial legacy is critical to the prospects of successful transitional justice in postcolonial polities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 257 |
| Number of pages | 276 |
| Journal | International Journal of Transitional Justice |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 27 Mar 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Jun 2018 |
Keywords
- colonial legacy
- postauthoritarianism
- nonsettler colonial territories
- impunity
- Nigeria
Access to Document
- Colonialism and the Dilemmas of Transitional Justice in Nigeria
Checked for eligibility: 21/03/2018 This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in International Journal of Transitional Justice following peer review. The version of record Hakeem O Yusuf; Colonialism and the Dilemmas of Transitional Justice in Nigeria, International Journal of Transitional Justice, , ijy006, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijy006is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ijtj/ijy006/4955293 https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijy006