Nigeria Since Independence: Forever Fragile?

Boko Haram's recent attacks have helped turn Nigeria into a failed state, yet so far it has avoided breaking up. But what are the forces keeping it together? And how much longer will they continue to do so? Nigeria since Independence seeks to answer these important questions by looking at the complex and contradictory roles played by the country's federal structures, oil reserves, and the armed forces. The picture of contemporary Nigeria it paints is at once intriguing and complex, frightening and optimistic. This book focuses on both the factors fuelling the insurgencies in the Niger Delta and the North-East, which are the primary cause of country's failure, and the main mechanisms helping to keep the country together. Enhanced by interviews with senior Nigerian policy-makers and foreign diplomats, it provides a crucial insight into the state of modern Nigeria.