A Theoretical Framework for Decolonising Employment Relations Research in Nigeria: Toward an Indigenous African Industrial Relations Paradigm

This doctoral study develops an original theoretical framework for decolonising employment relations research methodology and theory-building in Nigeria, contributing an indigenous African Industrial Relations paradigm grounded in African philosophical traditions, collectivist labour relations histories, and postcolonial political economy. Contemporary Nigerian IR scholarship overwhelmingly applies Western-derived theories (Pluralism, Unitarism, Marxism) to indigenous realities that differ fundamentally in cultural, institutional, and historical terms, producing theoretical misalignments that constrain explanatory and prescriptive validity. Drawing on Ubuntu philosophy, indigenous knowledge systems research methodology, Afrocentric social theory, and critical postcolonial theory, this study employs a theoretically generative qualitative design involving 80 purposively selected IR scholars, traditional labour historians, and practitioner-scholars across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Grounded theory analysis and meta-theoretical synthesis are the primary analytical methods. The theoretical output includes a novel Afrocentric Employment Relations Model that centers communal reciprocity, customary dispute resolution, and relational labour obligations as core analytical constructs, departing fundamentally from Western contract-based and adversarial frameworks. The model is validated against three historical and contemporary Nigerian employment relations cases, demonstrating superior explanatory power for indigenous collective action, informal economy labour relations, and communal employer-worker obligations. The study makes an original theoretical contribution of the highest order to global industrial relations scholarship by articulating a non-Western paradigm with transferability to other African national contexts. Recommendations include redesigning Nigerian IR curriculum around the proposed indigenous model and establishing a Centre for African Labour Relations Theory at a Nigerian university. Keywords: decolonisation, employment relations theory, indigenous paradigm, Afrocentric, postcolonial industrial relations