Labour in the explanation of an African crisis A critique of current orthodoxy : The case of Nigeria

Mounting debt, declining output, falling living standards. These elements are typical of the sub-Saharan African crisis and its failure to initiate self-sustaining development. As the search for an answer has turned Africa into a laboratory for Western intellectuals, many now argue that the West's structural adjustment remedies have intensified the crisis, rather than resolving it. Criticised for high wage demands, low productivity and excessive political power, the labour movement has been judged too self-interested to actively participate in the future development of Africa. How valid is this accusation? Is there an alternative to the common orthodoxy that seeks to isolate labour from Africa's development crisis? Written by a Nigerian scholar, this book sets out a critique of current orthodoxy of the role of labour in development theory and practice. The book focuses on Nigeria, where some argue labour militancy has played a crucial role in preventing full-blown dictatorship from flourishing beyond control