Oga S. Abah is a Professor of Theatre for Development at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria where he has taught since 1979. He is one of the leading theorists in Theatre for Development, an area in which he has researched since 1980.

His current research has focused on the interaction of methodologies, especially between TFD, participatory learning and action (PLA) and traditional Social Science research. He has characterized this as ‘methodological conversation’.

An extension of this is the interest which Professor Abah has developed in the interplay between the classroom and the field, between theory and practice, between development rhetoric of participation and the practice of exclusion. It is in this interrogative approaches that he has made his mark as a scholar, trainer and field worker.

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  Participatory Theatre and Video: Acting against Violence in Norther...

  Okwori, JZ, Alubo, O & OS, Abah

  IDS Bulletin, 40(3)
  Drama and video are effective tools for stimulating reflection and research on violence. This article describes a res...
  Drama and video are effective tools for stimulating reflection and research on violence. This article describes a research process which tried to understand expressions of identity, constructions of citizenship and prospects for reducing future violence in northern Nigeria, where there have been many outbreaks of violence centred on religion and ethnicity. Researchers and local partners carried out a survey in several communities. They then used the survey findings to develop a drama which was performed in each community and which was followed by a facilitated debate. Participatory video was integrated at all stages.
  The research findings show that most people do not believe that the contemporary violence is a result of religion. Rather, they see religion as the organising platform. This analysis offers a more nuanced understanding of the conflict than merely labelling it ethno-religious.
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  Oil and Accountability Issues in the Niger Delta

  Okwori, JZ & OS, Abah

  In P Newell & J Wheeler (eds) Rights, Resources and the Politics of Accountability. London: Zed.
  Due to copyright restrictions, we can only share the first three pages of this chapter online. The book can be ordere...
  Due to copyright restrictions, we can only share the first three pages of this chapter online. The book can be ordered from Zed Books at www.zedbooks.co.uk/citizenship or purchased at the IDS bookstore.
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  A Nation in Search of Citizens: Problems of Citizenship in the Nige...

  Okwori, JZ & OS, Abah

  In N Kabeer (ed.) Inclusive Citizenship: Meanings and Expressions. London: Zed.
  Due to copyright restrictions, we can only share the first three pages of this chapter online.
  Due to copyright restrictions, we can only share the first three pages of this chapter online.
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  The Paradox of Plenty: Oil, the Niger Delta and Accountability

  Okwori, JZ, Abah, OS, Okpe, M & K, Ghitis

  TFDC Policy Briefing, Issue 2
  This document is not currently available
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  Nigeria: In Search of Citizens?

  Okwori, JZ & OS, Abah

  TFDC Policy Briefing, in partnership with Citizenship DRC, No. 1, December

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  Agendas in Encountering Citizens in the Nigerian Context

  Okwori, JZ & OS, Abah

  IDS Bulletin 33(2)
  In this article, we examine the question of citizenship and the different ways in which this may determine rights and...
  In this article, we examine the question of citizenship and the different ways in which this may determine rights and privileges in Nigeria. The simple, yet complex way in which this can be thrown into sharp relief is to ask the question, Who is a Nigerian citizen? How is this determined and defined by: a) law, b) other factors? Even when citizenship is defined by law or wrested by individuals/groups, it is important to interrogate how Nigerians perceive their own citizenship. Some of the factors to look at include location/space, ethnicity, gender and religion. On the basis of who they think they are and the ways in which they have interpreted their own belonging in the country, people outline what they expect their entitlements to be. How have these expectations been shaped, and do they change over time and space?