COLONIALISM, IMPERIALISM, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND PERSPECTIVES ON THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF NIGERIA

Colonialism and imperialism are "allotropes" of Western misrule of Africa, characterized by "statism" and economic exploitation, in contradistinction to the excuses of humanitarian motives: eradication of slavery, expansion of missionary activities and trade creation, etc, "after thought" made by the colonial overlords. In the aftermath, Africa, Nigeria at the centre, suffered severe development setback. But beyond the fagade, capitalist integration was central in British colonial relations with Nigeria, as it was elsewhere in Africa, giving rise to resentments expressed through the emergent nationalist movements, particularly from the 1930s. To overthrow the colonial grip, two choices were available: armed struggle and the constitutional method, preferred by the nationalist bourgeoisie class who found allies in the British and her economic influence to continue with the "rebranded relationship" in neo-colonialism. The adoption by Nigeria of the Western capitalist path of development levied severe . consequences on her economy: economic control, monopolies, unemployment, strikes, and corruption, among other issues. The recourse to the European Union (EU) (With all the expected "relationship advantages" delayed any progress in industrializing Nigeria through a policy of reckless granting of industrial products duty-free entry into Nigeria. Furthermore, the economic association with EU thwarted Africa's continental economic integration and political unification: Africa became the theatre of neo-colonialism by Europe. Thus, Nigeria's economic link with the EU, through the Lome Conventions, indeed made; a mockery of her posture of non-alignment in world politics, concluding.