ZIKISM AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN POLITICS AND DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This paper examines the Azikiwe's philosophy of African Renaissance and attempt to discuss its aptness in present day
Africa and Nigeria at a time when the African identity is gradually fading away. To do this, the paper made use of extant
literature and employed content analysis to arrive at its conclusions. The paper found out that Zikism is an ideology to
look up to as it combines attributes of capitalism, socialism and welfarism and anchors it major thrust on the major
catchment points of these ideologies to produce a unique if not peculiar system known as neo-welfarism which
suggests among other things spiritual balance, mental emancipation, economic determinism and African
Risorgimento. The paper suggest among others things that young people on the continent must take their rightful place
in society and jettison completely their mental colonialism of inferiority complex and place themselves at par with all
other people not minding colour, race, ethnicity or religion, more importantly the paper calls on countries on the
continent to embrace an indigenous ideology like Zikis, that proposes the regeneration of a continent in constant
copying spree of western ideologies as only an ideology developed within Africa's peculiarities can alleviate the
continent from its political and economic quagmire.