List of Selected Publications

1. Alkali, A. (2024), “Separatist Agitations in Nigeria, the case of the South-West,” in A. Olukoya and W. Oyesina (eds.), Festschrift in honour of Professor Adele L. Jinadu. Lagos: University of Lagos Press.

---

- The paper seeks to come to grips with the basic issues involved in Separatist agitation in Nigeria. It addresses this question by exploring the experience of the South-West. The paper adopted a historical approach for it enables us to capture the nuances of separatist agitation in Nigeria.

---

2. Alkali, A. (2022), “Constitutional Development and Establishment of the Federal System in Nigeria: A Historical Perspective,” in M.I. Sa’id and K.G. Muhammad (eds.), Legal Paradigm in Nigeria: A new direction in the study of Law and Practice. Sokoto: Usmanu Danfodiyo University. ISBN: 978-878-59429-0-3. - The paper examines the constitutional development of Nigeria and the establishment of the federal system. It begins by tracing the historical development of Nigerian constitution and the various stages of its evolution, including the development that led to adoption of Federal System of Government as against the parliamentary system that was bequeathed by the Colonial Powers at the time of Nigerian independence in 1960. It suggests that despite the stresses and the strains that Nigeria had gone through, there is reason to hope that, with appropriate policy strategies, peace and security would prevail and the corporate existence of the Nigerian federation guaranteed.

---

3. Alkali, A. (2018), “A Note on Perspectives to the Federal Principle” in T. Wuam and P.A Nwamagyi (eds.), Perspectives in History, Development and International Relations: Festschrift for Professor Ibrahim James, Kaduna: Kaduna State University. ISBN: 978-8098-17-8. - The paper seeks to appraise the perspectives to the federal principle. Several literature on the federal theory abound. The objective is to make an appraisal of the literature with a view to highlighting their import. A cursory survey of the theories of federalism reveals two major strands: the constitutional perspective and the politico-ideological dimension. In the former sense, federal practice is based on the notion of the dispersed constitutional powers between the central government on the one hand, and the constituent governments on the other. Under this perspective, the ‘co-ordinate’ and interdependent’ status of the two levels of government is taken for granted. Federalism is also seen as a framework through which ethnic differences are reconciled in a multiethnic polity.

---

4. Alkali, A. (2017), “Qualitative and Quantitative Social Research”, Degel Journal of Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies, Vol.14, (June 2017). ISSN: 0794-9316. http://www.degeljournal.org - The paper discusses quantitative and qualitative social paradigm. It highlights some salient methodological issues that pertain to social research. The paper alludes to the specialised approaches that have been employed by qualitative researchers with a view to making social research, whether concluded within the framework of inductive or deductive logic, a systematic scientific enterprise. The paper began by an introduction on the dynamics of quantitative and qualitative social research. It then discussed the nature of scientific research. The paper dwelt on qualitative social research. Issues touched upon included deductive and inductive logic, idiographic and homothetic approaches in social research as well as the strategies involved in designing qualitative research.

---

5. Alkali, A. (2016), “Federalism and the Creation of Sub-national States in Nigeria: Appraising the State-Creation Exercise under Babangida Administration.” IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 22, Issue 1, Ver. 5 (January, 2017) PP 01-08 e-ISSN: 2279-0837: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org - The paper appraises the state-creation exercises under Babangida Administration, with a view to explaining the factors and forces which may have influenced the creation of the 21- and the 30- state federal structures in Nigeria. The paper argues that the unrelenting pressure for the creation of additional subnational units in Nigeria is a function of the competition amongst federating ethnic groups in the country for favourable allocation of distributive federal resources.

---

6. Alkali, A. (2016), “The 1914 Amalgamation and the Political Development of Nigeria” in Wuam T. et al (ed), The 1914 Amalgamation and a Century of Nationhood, Lagos: Bahiti and Dalila publishers. ISBN: 978-978-54129-7-0. - The paper discusses the implications of the 1914 amalgamation for Nigeria’s political development. That the 1914 amalgamation has implications for the political development of Nigeria is as trite as it is true. With the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates into one composite polity, the two geo-physical areas ceased to exist as separate and autonomous entities. Indeed, the amalgamation marked the formal existence of Nigeria as a nation. One need not belabour the fact that the amalgamation framework was based on colonial hegemonic objective. The paper is divided into six (6) segments. The first section is the introduction. The second segment discusses the frame of analsyis. The paper then turns to the proposed alternative schemes during the colonial period. The Lugardian amalgamation formula is then discussed. The appraisal of the 1914 amalgamation is the concern of the fifth segment. Specifically, the implications of the amalgamation schemes for Nigeria’s political development are highlighted. Section six comprises the conclusion.

---

7. Sani, I. and Alkali, A. (2016), “Election Quality: Judgement and Measurement Challenges” Sokoto Journal of the Social Sciences. Vol. 6, No. 2. December, 2016. ISNN: Print 1595-2738 Online 2384-7654. - The paper examines the theoretical and methodological challenges of judging and measuring the quality of elections, and proposes a concise criterion for gauging the credibility of elections.

---

8. Alkali, A. (2016), “Good Governance, Minority Issues, and the Challenge of States Creation in Nigeria” in Wuam T. et al (eds.), The Fourth Republic in Nigeria: Constitutionalism, Rule of Law and Federalism, Lagos: Bahiti and Dalila Publishers, ISBN: 978-978-8062-12-4. - The paper argues that the absence of good governance precipitated the demands for separate regions/states during the colonial period. Put differently, were the British colonial rulers guided by the fundamental principles of good governance as they set about drawing the political landscape of the then Nigerian political entity, they would have evinced sensitivity to minority issues, thereby forestalling perennial agitations for separate sub-national constituencies after independence. The transformation of the federal structure in Nigeria owed to the persistent demands for the creation of more states. No sooner are new states created than the agitation for the creation of yet more states would surface. Thus, the pressure for the creation of additional sub-national units in Nigeria would continue ad-infinitum. A pertinent question that the paper seeks to address is: to what extent does the agitation for states constitute governance challenge, and how have the various state-creation exercises impacted on governance in Nigeria, especially between 1999 and 2014.

---

9. Alkali, A. (2016), “Nigeria and the Challenge of Political Integration: The Relevance of the Islamic Governance framework.” Muhammad Ahmad Wali et al. (eds.), Islam and Governance, Vol. 2. ISBN: 978-978-956-854-3. - The paper discusses the relevance of the Islamic governance framework for political integration in Nigeria. Specifically, the paper appraises some provision of the constitution of the federal city-state of Madinah that was established by Prophet Muhammad (SAW), with a view to highlighting its contemporary relevance.

---

10. Alkali, A. and Chidiebere Onwutuebe, (2016), “Constructivism as an Approach in International Relations,” Ife Journal of International Affairs. Vol. 3 No. 1. - Constructionist paradigm is a relatively new theoretical perspective in the field international relations. As a paradigm or world view, constructivism stresses the central role of ideas, shared norms and social identities in shaping international politics. The paper examines constructivism as a framework for explaining international relations and also underscores the challenges for constructivist thinking in the contemporary international system. The central question that the paper attempts to address is: of what relevance is constructivism as a theory of international relations?

---

11. Alkali, A. (2014), “A Retrospective Analysis of the Creation of Niger State,” National Development Studies, Makudi: Aboki Publishers, No. 2, August 2009. ISSN-1595-5753. - The paper appraises the agitation for the creation of Niger State. The major question that the paper addresses is: if the minority was at the helm of affairs in the old North-West, why did it have to agitate for the creation of a separate state? The point of educational imbalance created a situation in which the civil service of the defunct North-Western State was filled with manpower, largely, from Niger province. This, in turn, created a feeling of under-representation from the people of Sokoto province. The consequent competition or agitation for a state was by those who were in “control” numerically, i.e., in the civil service, but who wanted to escape continued “malgnment”. On the other hand, those with less of the manpower wanted a space to develop their “manpower”, Cultural pluralism or ethnic consideration could be an issue for explaining the consequent demand for state creation.

---

12. Alkali, A. (2014), “A Retrospective Analysis of the Creation of Niger State,” in T. Wuam and M.L. Salahu (eds.), Aspects of Niger State History: Essays in Honour of Professor Ibrahim Adamu Kolo. Lapai: Department of History and International Studies, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University. ISBN: 978-978-8512-10-3.

---

13. Alkali, A. (2011), “The Madinan Federal Constitution and Peaceful Co-existence: An Overview” in Bande et al (eds.) Islamic Political Theory and Applications. Kaduna: Data and Image Technology. ISBN: 978-978-905-3460. - To the extent that federalism is a political arrangement that seeks to accommodate a society’s heterogeneity, the political system that was instituted and administered by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at Madinah, between 622 and 632A.D., was indeed “federal”. It has to be stressed, though, that under the Islamic political framework, sovereignty neither resides in the federation nor in its subjects. As the religious and temporal head of the Islamic polity (the Ummah), the Prophet (SAW) evolved a federal structure which was composed of peoples of different religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds – the Muslims (Muhajirun and Ansar) on the one hand, and the Jews and the Christians, on the other. Islam gave to the world the first-ever written constitution; namely, the Constitution of Madinah, which assured peaceful and harmonious coexistence amongst the federating peoples. The Madinan Charter promulgated for the city state of Madinah, in the year 1 of the Hijrah, contained detailed expositions concerning the rights and obligations of the various groups in the Islamic federation. The paper discussed, albeit at a theoretical level, the Islamic Federal framework (as gleaned from Madinan constitution), with a view to highlighting its salient features in contradistinction with the conventional (Secular) models.

---

14. Alkali, A. (2011), “The Constitutional Development of Nigeria: Perspectives and Issues,” Lapai Journal of Central Nigeria History, Lapai: Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University. ISSN: 2006-2818. - The paper attempts to highlight the perspectives and the salient issues to the constitutional development of Nigeria. It argues that the creation of Nigeria as well as the colonial constitutional reforms were informed by the colonial concern to evolve an administrative pattern that would make for the political integration of the Nigerian peoples within a federal framework. The colonial constitutions were defective from the point of view of the processes that brought them into being and also in terms of their provisions which sought merely to reconcile the competition for distributive federal resources by the constituent ethnic groups in the federation. That the colonial authorities did not succeed in fashioning a solid constitutional document for the Nigerian polity is reflected in the series of constitutional conferences that trailed colonial rule to the post-independence period.

---

15. Alkali, A. (2010), “Northern Nigeria, Federalism and Political Structuring: Implications for Muslim Unity” in Muhammad A.W. et al (eds.), Islam and Governance in Nigeria: Issues and Perspectives,” Sokoto: Wali Foundation. ISBN: 978-978-914-7. - There would be the urge to assume that the colonial authority introduced the federal system in Nigeria. This would be a historical fallacy. Federal practices in Nigeria pre-dated colonial rule. A close look at the administrative pattern of the Sokoto Caliphate would reveal aspects of federalism. The Sokoto Caliphal system was essentially federal, even if a territorially loose one. The federation was so politically structured as to ensure relative autonomy to the various geopolitical entities. The high level of autonomy conceded to the federating political units is a crucial factor for the political stability that characterised the Caliphate. Belonging in the federation was voluntary, and the federating segments freely elected their leaders, subject to the confirmation of the central authority. The paper is structured as follows. It began with an introduction. The subsequent segment focuses on the evolution of the federal system in Nigeria, and the creation and reorganisation of the colonial provinces. This is followed by a highlight on the position of Northern Nigeria under the first Republic, as a distinct, composite entity. The segment discusses, in retrospect, the territorial and demographic preponderance of Northern Region, and how that generated uneasiness by southern elites on the prevailing federal structure. Attention is then shifted to the balkanisation of the regions and the institution of the state system. It is argued that the north was the greatest casualty of the 1967 state-creation exercise: not only did it suffer loss of extensive territory; the Northern Region, which symbolised the cherished Northern religious and cultural heritage, ceased to exist. The segment also indicates how the further sub-division of the Northern territory through various political restructuring, from 1976 to 1996, has affected inter-ethnic harmony. Section six, integrates the various arguments of the chapter by recaptulalzing on the implications of federalism and political structuring for Muslim unity in Nigeria. The final segment comprises the conclusion to the chapter.

---

16. Alkali, A. (2009), “The Quest for True Federalism in Nigeria: Historical Antecedents and Contemporary Challenges,” The `Constitution, Lagos: Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarization, Vol. 9, No. 4, December. ISSN: 1595-5753. - The paper argues that contemporary pressures for redefining federalism in Nigeria has historical roots. The paper maintains that in establishing the federal system, the colonial authority had not bothered to adhere to the ethnographical spread of the peoples. The federal system was superficial, as contiguous communities were severed while communities that had no historical links were merged together. Furthermore, the federal structure that was bequeathed by the departing colonial overlord was lopsided. It concludes that the failure of post-colonial elites to built genuine federalism by deploying concrete policies in place of brinkmanship, particularly created problems for the proper operation of the federal system in Nigeria, and propelled the quest for the federalism in the country.

---

17. Alkali, A. (2004), “Federalism and Democratic Governance” Hassan A. Salihu (ed.) Nigeria Under Democratic Rule (1999-2003), Ilorin: University Press Plc, Vol. 1, ISBN: 978-030-9071. - The approach of the paper is to view the emergence of the Nigerian federal structure within the framework of the distributive pressures inherent in the Nigerian federation. Distributive pressures have underlaid state and local government creation exercises by successive regimes in Nigeria. In demanding for new states, federating communities aim to benefit from developmental and infrastructural facilities that are attendant to the territorial reorganisations.

---

18. Alkali, A. (2003), “The Scientific Status of Political Science: A Brief Commentary, Degel, Sokoto: Mile stone Information Publishing House, Vol VI, August 2003, ISSN: 4794-9316. - The paper appraises the transition of political science from traditionalism to behavouralism and, then to post-behaviouralism. The question that the paper seeks to address is: given the changing character of political science, is empirical political analysis a science or an art? The paper is divided into five (5) sections. Section one is the introduction, Section two gives a conceptual definition of “science”. Section three is a passing remark on paradigms and political analysis. Section four discuses the status of political science as a discipline, while Section five is concluding remarks.

---

19. Alkali, A. (2001), “Educational Development in Niger State: History, Political Dynamics, and Challenges for Nation Building” in Talla Ngarka S. et al (eds.), Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria, Jos: Smart Print Production. ISBN: 978-978-397. - The paper seeks to appraise educational development in Niger State, in light of historical antecedents. Specifically, the paper aims to highlight the challenges for nation-building, of which education is a major component. The question that the paper addresses is: what is the prospect for educational development in the state? The paper begins by dispelling the wrong notion of attributing the low standard of education in Northern Nigeria to conservatism. It argues that the British colonial authority, through a deliberate policy, denied the North access to universal and functional education at the inception of colonial rule. The paper argues that if the objective of educational development had been attained in Niger State in the past, there is reason to hope that, with appropriate measures in place, the state would meet up to the challenge of nation-building by providing accessible qualitative and functional education.

---

---

LIST OF CONFERENCE/ WORKSHOP/SEMINAR PAPERS

---

1. Alkali, A. (2022), “Presidentialism and the Nigerian Federal System,” paper presented for the Presidential and State Executive Power Online Conference, organized by the Department of History, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria – 30th August, 2022.

---

2. Alkali, A. (2016), “Separatist Agitations in South-Eastern Nigeria: A Historical Perspective,” paper prepared for First International Conference Organized by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sokoto State University, Sokoto, on the theme: Repositioning the Humanities in the Service of Peace and National Integration in Africa”.

---

3. Alkali, A. (2016), “Writing a Research Proposal in Political Science”. Paper presented at the Departmental Seminar Series, Department of Political Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, 15th January.

---

4. Alkali, A. (2015), “Repositioning Nigeria’s Educational System for Global Competitiveness.” Paper Presented at National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru-Jos, 15th February.

---

5. Alkali, A. (2015), “Qualitative Research Paradigm and Approach: Data Collection and Analysis”, a paper presented at APSA Research Methodology Workshop on the theme: “Election and Security Research in a Turbulent Environment: Implications for Methodology and Fieldwork,” held at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, 14-15 December.

---

6. Alkali, A. (2013), “The 1914 Amalgamation and the Political Development of Nigeria,” paper presented at “Lapai Confab 2013,” 4-7 May, 2014, I.B.B. University, Lapai.

---

7. Alkali, A. (2009), “Educational Development in Niger State: History, Political Dynamics, and Challenges for National- Building,” paper presented at 2nd National Conference (Lapai 2009), held at I.B.B. University, Lapai, Niger State, 30th March-2nd April, 2009.

---

8. Alkali, A. (2009), “Historical Antecedents and Contemporary Challenges of Federalism”, NASHER Annual National Conference, University of Abuja, July 15-18.

---

9. Alkali, A. (2005), “The National Conference and the Politics of Restructuring the Nigerian Federalism: Reflections on Previous Experience”, National Conference on Nigerian Federalism: Issue and Problems, Federal College of Education, Kontagora, 29th August - 2nd September.

---

10.Muhammad, G.B. and Alkali, A. (2003) “Constitution and Political Conflicts: Special Reference to the Shari’ah Debate in Nigeria,” a paper prepared for Nigerian Political Science Association (NIPSA) 22nd Annual National Conference on Democracy and Conflict Management “ Kongo Conference Hotel, January 13-15. and Alkali, A. (2003)

---

11. Alkali, A. (2003), “The Structural Transformation of Northern Nigeria (1903-1996): An Overview of Federalism and the Politics of State Creation in Nigeria,” International Conference on the Transformation of Northern Nigeria: 1903-2003, Organized by Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Bayero University, Kano, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Arewa House, Kaduna, March 27-29.

---

12. Alkali, A. (2003), “The Emergence of the Nigerian Federal Structure and Democratic Governance: An Analytical Overview”, National Conference on the Nigeria Society under Democratic Rule: 1999-2003, Organized by Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, August 20-21.

---

13. Alkali, A. (1997), “The Military and the Structural Transformation of the Nigerian Federation.” Postgraduate Seminar, Department of Political Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, February 26, 1997.

---

14. Alkali, A. (1997), “The Federal Principle and Federalism: Inter-face Between Theory and Practice.” Postgraduate Seminar, Department of Political Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, March 5, 1997.

---

15. Alkali, A. (1997), “The Madinan Federal Constitution and Peaceful Co-existence: An Overview,” paper presented at Workshop on Islamic Political Theory and Applications, Jointly organised by the Department of Political Science and Islam and Knowledge forum, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, August 2123, 1997.

---

Academic Metrics (Links to Google Scholar, Web of Science Researcher ID, ResearchGate, Twitter, LinkedIn, ORCID, Scopus, etc)

---

LinkedIn

---

Google Scholar