INTRODUCTION
you already know the definition, functions and types of pressure groups as well as the techniques they employ to influence public polices, among others. What remain in this unit is to expand on this by taking a closer look at the role of pressure groups in a democracy as well as the obstacles that confront them in fulfilling this role.OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit you are expected to:
1. Know the origin and evolution of pressure groups in Nigeria
2. Understand the political role they play in government
3. Appreciate that pressure groups face a lot of obstacles in the course of
fulfilling their engaging activities with the government.
MAIN CONTENT
3.1 Origin and Development of Pressure Groups in Nigeria
It may not be easy to date precisely the origin of pressure groups in the world. But one can certainly say that the idea of group response to express their grievances can be dated to the French Political philosopher, J.J. Rousseau and other idealist thinkers who suggested that the citizen should suppress his desires and develop a common consciousness of common good. This was why before the age of representative government groups such as the Abolition Society Foundation and The Society for Women’s Rights flourished in Britain and France, respectively. During the colonial era in Africa the Aborigine Rights Society canvassed for the restoration of the rights of the indigenes while in the West African sub-region, members of the National Council for British West Africa were early agitators for better conditions for their countrymen, before the arrival of political parties.
The formation of pressure groups in Nigeria can also be traced to the colonial era. The West African Students Union (WASU) was a major platform used by Nigerians studying abroad to agitate for constitutional reforms. Reverend I. O. Ransome Kuti was instrumental to the formation of the Nigerian Union of Students in 1940, which was inaugurated by students of Abeokuta Grammar School as well as the Nigerian Union of Teachers. The primary objective of the students’ union was to oppose tribal separatism among students. The union in addition set up committees to look into general problems facing Nigeria at the time in order to find solutions to them. In March 1944 students of Kings College, including Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (later a Military Governor of Eastern Region) and Ola Oni (later an academic and a socialist comrade) protested against poor accommodation when they were displaced from their original hostels to provide accommodation for soldiers. Seventy-five of the students were later apprehended, tried for disorderly behaviour and expelled by the school authorities.
The Railways Workers Union led by Micheal Imoudu was a major vanguard of the agitations against colonial rule in Nigeria. As its president, Imoudu led a successful campaign of the railways workers for increases in the cost of living allowances, which were granted in 1942. Subsequently, the government invoked the Emergency Defence Regulations against Imoudu, and he was deported from Lagos to Auchi, in the then Benin province on the ground that he was a potential threat to public safety. Unrepentant after his release Imoudu later played a major role in the 1945 general strike, which almost paralysed the economic activities of the colonial power in Nigeria. The militant leadership provided by the late Imoudu in successfully coordinating the strike action earned him the name Nigeria Labour leader No. 1.
After the granting of independence to Nigeria in 1960, the pressure groups did not relent in their activities. During the First Republic pressure groups also allied themselves with the socialist movements in the country to help diversify the ideological straitjacket of the Balewa’s era from its conservative to a more progressive posture. Apart from their notable involvement in the opposition against the Anglo Nigerian Defence Pact pressure groups in the country, especially the labour segment organised a general strike in 1964 to protest the manipulation of the Federal Elections of that year. Their action forced the government to bring in the military to maintain the essential services in the country that were disrupted as a result of the strike. There are those who hold the view that the decisions of the Balewa government to involve the military in purely civil works during the strike, in addition to the use of soldiers to suppress the Tiv riots were some of the remote causes of the belief held by the military that it had a guardian role to play in the country.
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