One of the consequences of the failure of the state to protect life and property of its entire citizens especially in developing countries like Nigeria is the emergences of private alternatives to crime prevention and control. This process of privatisation of security in Nigeria often involves recruitment of corporate and local security guards, vigilantes, night watchmen and the control of access into the neighbourhoods through gates and barriers. The book examines the nature, types, procedures, and administration of these private alternative to security in Ibadan metropolis. It identifies renaissance of primary affiliation among diverse urban residents and the interplay of forces of exclusion and inclusion among residents of gates neighbourhoods in Ibadan metropolis. It also evaluates the spatial pattern, trends and dynamics of gating and the general concern for security in Ibadan metropolis.

This is a study of the informal channels of conflict resolution among people living in Ibadan. Although the informal channels of justice are generally preferred by the poor because they cannot afford to hire an attorney, this study has shown that informal channels are often the first choice of citizens who wish to solve their conflicts outside a court of law.

This is a study of Ibadan, the largest indigenous African city south of the Sahara. Ibadan began its existence as a war-camp and has retained, to a large extent, the structure of an overgrown village. In the core of the town, settled in the nineteenth century, the people live together in large family compounds. The new elites live in the peripheral modern suburbs but here individual homes are the rule. The two sections of the city depend on one another economically and the commercial and industrial development of new Ibadan is modifying the life of the old city. The book is a symposium based on a series of papers presented at a seminar organised by the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan. Each contributor is an expert in his own field and together they provide a comprehensive survey of the history, geography, sociology and political structure of this remarkable city. All sides of the city's life and structure are examined in relation to one another; the book deals with the city as a whole and not single aspects of it.

A rich and accessible account of Yoruba history, society and culture from the pre-colonial period to the present.

Ibadan market women were active in political mobilization and they engaged in eclectic political actions during the decolonization process. Their leaders significantly swayed the electorate both in and beyond the market places. This study examines the historical development of the roles of Ibadan market women in politics between 1900 and 1995 with a view to establishing their contributions. By a thorough historical analysis, Ibadan Divisional and Provincial papers, and newspapers of the nationalists’ era (1945-1960)-Nigerian Tribune and Southern Nigerian Defender from the National Archives Ibadan were consulted for information on the activities of Ibadan market women. Secondary data were obtained from the Women Research and Documentation Centre and other resource centres. Simultaneously, Ibadan market women were involved in party politics of the National Council for Nigeria and Cameroons (NCNC); Action Group (AG); and traditional power politics.

This book is comprehensive both in terms of time coverage, from before the Pharaohs to the present moment and in that it tries to consider cities from the entire continent, not just Sub-Saharan Africa. Apart from factual information and rich description material culled from many sources, it looks at many issues from why urban life emerged in the first place to how present-day African cities cope in difficult times. Instead of seeing towns and cities as somehow extraneous to the real Africa, it views them as an inherent part of developing Africa, indigenous, colonial, and post-colonial and emphasizes the extent to which the future of African society and African culture will likely be played out mostly in cities. The book is written to appeal to students of history but equally to geographers, planners, sociologists and development specialists interested in urban problems.

This book is a study of chieftaincy and political culture in Ibadan, the most populous city in what was Britain's largest West African colony, Nigeria. Examining the period between 1829 and 1939, it shows how and why the processes through which Ibadan was made into a civic community shifted from the battlefield to a discursive field. Concentrating on the early-to-mid colonial period, the book's focus on political discourse encompasses Ibadan's pre-colonial past, because forms of social action and political argument were always legitimated in terms of past precedents. This book offers a contribution to the social and cultural history of British colonial administration in Africa, as well as to the field of urban history. It should be of interest to anthropologists and social scientists for its innovative approach to the study of political culture. North America: Ohio U Press; Nigeria: HEBN