Reflections by Prof Tunji Olaopa

[Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth]

"As the most populous country in Africa, and a critical geopolitical figure on the continent, Nigeria’s statist dynamics demand fundamental attention from her politicians and political scientists. As the political elites, both should be able to take a gamble on development by betting on ideological discourses that could yield development bargains—decisional and policy determination that leads to economic growth. This is the argument of Stefan Dercon in Gambling on Development (2022). His argument is that there cannot be any meaningful development except the political elite is politically willing and ideologically ready to take a gamble on it. This means shirking all forms of distraction, attitudes and orientations that might undermine the stated objectives of putting a state on the path of development.

This gambling metaphor is the context within which to situate the ideological contestation between a consummate politician and an astute political scientist on the question of the best ideological orientation that could ground the developmental state in Nigeria." Professor Tunji Olaopa  in Thisday  newspaper  nigeria  June 12 2026

Writing on" best ideology  for the Nigerian  state: Awolowo-Dudley discourse revisited"