Chapter 1 representative democracy in nigeria introduction democracy is the form of government, in which the people of a country, state or local government area decide how they want to be governed. Democracy and political participation are related to good governance are interrelated and complementary but appear to be antithetical in nigeria. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative means of data collection. Worried about the future prospects of democracy in nigeria, the paper concludes with suggestions on the way forward towards the domestication of true democracy and good governance in the country, stressing that the time to act is now. It therefore uses secondary sources of data such as text books, journals, magazines, newspapers and the internet. People do hide under the cover of national interest to project and protect their own individual or group interest. The note then goes on to assess some key causal linkages between democracy and development in section iii, discussing in particular modernisation theory and the emergence of democracy. Pdf the impact of military rule on democracy in nigeria. History of nigerian constitutional development the jet lawyer. Civil society, democratic governance and development in. Protest, democracy and social development in nigeria.
This paper asserts that nigerian democracy has three outstanding features. Pdf the paper seeks to explain the rationale of the militarize dispositions of politicians in the current democracy. Industrial development and growth in nigeria brookings institution. Democracy and sustainable development in nigeria publish. The paper discovers that the dynamics inherent in the nigeria state and its brand of democracy tends to stymied, and inhibit the growth and effective functioning of civil society.
Democracy, political stability, and developing country. Federal republic of nigeria implementation of the sdgs. Is liberal democracy feasible in developing countries. With the analysis of secondary data, the paper examines democracy, democratic institutions and good governance in nigeria. There is the dearth of vertical and horizontal compositions of unified interests in terms of. International idea produces comparative knowledge in its key areas of expertise. In simple terms, the objective of the paper is to identify and discuss the challenges to democracy and good governance in the country and proffer suggestions for a better democratic nigeria. Whether nations are able to manage their political and social disputes peacefully, without lapsing into conflict, or sustain economic growth without creating huge inequalities. Nigerian diaspora, remittances and contributions to national development. Idris ahmed jamo department of public administration, ahmadu bello university zaria abstract nigeria is the fourth world largest democracy with a population of over 160 million and world sixth largest oil supplier and blessed with economic potentials, but majority of the nigerian. Because of nigerias history of military rule and because of the strong elite unanimity in opposing nonrepresentative political templates, this model would only heighten our crisis of governance and stifle development. Journal of sustainable development in africa, 124 2225.
Nigeria s present democratization, which culminated in the countrys fourth republic on may 29, 1999, started amidst great hope and expectations. D student of political science at the department of political science university of ibadan ibadan, nigeria abstract the military is not by inclination trained to rule, but to defend. Indeed, a plethora of studies exist on democracy and development in nigeria achebe 1983, joseph 1987. Problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria infoguideng.
Resource curse, contemporary nigeria, niger delta problem, democratic governance, development, corruption introduction the lingering development quagmire in the niger delta well over a decade after nigerias restoration of democratic governance is revisited. Democracy is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament. Theoretical perspective 77 dedicated to strengthening ethnic politics in the west coleman, 1960. Ironically and unfortunately, nigeria, as far as the practise and delivery of dividends of liberal democracy is concerned, is yet a cripple that can barely stand let alone walk or run. The impact of military coup detat on political development in nigeria olorungbemi simeon toyin ph. The study adopted secondary source of collecting data. Of course, if we take a suitably broad concept of development to incorporate. But the quality of life is very poor amongs this large population, due mainly to extremely inadequate infrastructure, lack of employment opportunities and social amenities. Some of the issues that will be discussed in this article are the concept of rule of law, democracy and development, shortcomings of democracy and development in nigeria. International journal of public administration and management. Democracy, good governance and development in nigeria. Any strategic approach to development cooperation with nigeria needs to reflect, first and foremost, on how the eu can address the nigerian paradox. Democracy in nigeria is being starved of the basic tools for survival.
Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to. Sep 24, 2015 towards sustainable democracy in nigeria. Nigeria is largerly a rural country, with 62 per cent of her population living in the rural areas. It revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. The march 2010 international round table on democracy, peace and security. Sustainable development lippsdev abstract since the beginning of the fourth republic on may 29 1999, nigeria had continued to struggle with the delivery of democratic governance and democracy dividend social welfare, justice, equity, and equal access to resources and power. If you dont see any interesting for you, use our search form on bottom v. However, today, as in the past, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or a nation of 50 million, is representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to make political decisions. The revival of the discussion of democracy and development is. It is the fundamental and organic law of a nation or state that establishes. Democracy in nigeria has three phases 19601966 first republic. Democracy and the performance of the nigerian economy. Who country cooperation strategy, nigeria 2014 2019. Democracy and governance in africa democratization in.
Based on the results of this study we recommend that military regime is the best for the nigerian economy for now in terms of reduction in unemployment, poverty, corruption and income inequality. Though it is obvious that the country still have many hurdles to scale through, nigerians at large are envisaging a bright and prosperous future with better economy, improved standard of living, and security. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. Presently in nigeria, democracy is been celebrated yearly on may 29 th. Pdf democracy and development in rivers state of nigeria. The fourth republic is the current republican government of nigeria. Nigerias present democratization, which culminated in the countrys fourth republic on may 29, 1999, started amidst great hope and expectations. They include the legislature, its roles, the misconceptions and.
The major donors have been meeting frequently in order to discuss development and debt problems and to devise aid strategies for african governments. In doing these as well as in their daytoday life, the. To some others, creating a symmetrical linkage between democracy and development is to overburden democracy. Based on the nigeria experience, this paper argues that both democracy and authoritarianism are social system based political ideologies that derives their character from the wider society, which is conservative. It examined the problems of national development in nigeria, and carefully outlined the driving forces of development in some of the asia countries as models for nigerias development. The relevance and responsibilities of the judiciary in nigeria will also be outlined. These figures are contrasted with that of nondemocratic polities like the republic of the congo previously zaire and nigeria, which had growth rates of 2. We reiterate that democracy and development cohabit and inactivity of the former destroys the later. When the gdp size of a national economy is in the reverse gear, the state of affairs in the country can be anything but hardly development. Abstract this paper examined the extent to which the citizens are involved in political activities. An appraisal of the peoples democratic party pdp sixteen years international journal of research in humanities and social studies v2 i9 september 2015 3 in strict economic terms, development has traditionally meant achieving sustained rates of growth of. Constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date. Herskovits 1979, nigeria rejected britains parliamentary form of democracy which they had continued after independence in 1960 and chose the first wholly nigerianmade constitution, to follow the american model instead.
National economic empowerment and development strategy. The paper examined a comparative analysis of local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. Consequently, nigeria accounts for over a third of migrant remittance flows to subsaharan. Driven by protest to foster sociopolitical development, the literary artist from the days of chinua achebe in. Nigeria experienced fourteen years of uninterrupted democratic rule, available evidence revealed that, there is no clear direct relationship between democracy and development in the nigerian context, in essence the first fourteen years of democratic dispensation in the country has in no way improved remarkable development. The challenge of building institutions for democracy and development one of the greatest challenges of nation building is the challenge of institution building.
Problems and prospects of the evoting option idike, adeline nnenna, a department of public administration and local government university of nigeria, nsukka email. Political culture, democracy and development in nigeria. Theory and evidence ranmali abeyasinghe 04 illinois wesleyan university this article is brought to you for free and open access by the ames library, the andrew w. The general objective of the paper therefore is to examine the relationships among political culture, democracy and development in contemporary nigeria. Democracy and electoral process in nigeria politics essay.
According to my distinguished compatriot, chinua achebe, the trouble with nigeria is the failure of leadership. Nigeria sustainable development the united nations. In a situation such as this, national interest does have a negative contribution to national development. Conclusions and useful policy recommendations were made based on the above descriptive designs. D department of political science and public administration university of uyo, nigeria abstract. Even very modest progress would boost regional development, but a collapse of the relative peace now prevailing could again destabilize central africa. Literary productions from nigeria since inception have envisioned a utopian society. Unfortunately, the growth of democracy in nigeria has remained stunted ajayi, 1998. It is a weak democracy that repudiates inalienable ethos of its true identity. Accepted 25 october, 2016 contemporary debates on democracy, good governance and development are greatly inspired by the.
The politics of ethnic and regional security play a key role in nigerias political and economic development as well as its role in africa and the world in general. Nov 24, 2015 on this page you can read or download constitutional development in nigeria pdf in pdf format. The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical overview of the role and historical evolution of the nigerian judiciary. Mellon center for curricular and faculty development, the office of the provost and the office of the president. This is no less so in poor and developing countries than it is in the north and the west. The centre for democracy and development cdd is a nongovernmental organization working on democratic governance, human rights, criminal justice reform and anticorruption in nigeria. Civil society, democratic governance and development in nigeria, 19992012 daniel eseme gberevbie abstract it has been argued by scholars that no nation can fully achieve its development potentials without democratic governance as engendered and supported by vibrant civil society. Ethnoreligious crisis and the challenges of sustainable development in nigeria.
This paper is set to determine which of the afore mentioned argument can suit the nigerian situation today. Second, nigeria is a country that slipped out of the club of electoral democracies following 2007 presidential elections plagued by massive fraud and violence. Democracy, good governance and development in nigeria abdulhamid ozohusuleiman department of public administration, faculty of management sciences, university of abuja, nigeria. The paper also suggested some viable strategies needed to engender sustainable development in nigeria. Ethnoreligious conflicts and the dilemma of democratic. National development also has altogether, only materialized in the inscrutable imaginations of nigeria s national development planners. Mar 17, 2016 history of nigerian constitutional development introduction. Though, akus 2012 observed that national integration in nigeria is meant to promote unity and development of the nation but electoral process and democracy in nigeria since nigeria political independence has been seen as a fundamental weapon for sharing of national cake. Ake pronounced ahkay was considered one of africas foremost political philosophers. The constitution, in nigerias situation, is the supreme law of the land which all acts of individuals and of parliament must not contravene. Be that as it may, democracy has been accepted as a model of governance, particularly, in developing societies including nigeria. The primary sector, in particular, the oil and gas sector, dominates the. Development politics publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay.
The role and historical development of the judiciary in nigeria. A closer look at the topic under reference immediately reveals some key concepts or issues that require introductory definitions. Dividend, democracy, nigeria introduction nigerias return to democracy on may 29, 1999 was seen as an end to the torture, suffering of the military era. In nigeria, little effort has been made in that direction. There are roadblocks to a strong democracy in nigeria at all levels of government. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. The importance of a constitution in any given society cannot be overemphasized. Conflicttriggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalriesposes a major threat to democracy. Nigeriaworld documents vision 2010 all about nigeria. He specialised in political economy, political theory, and development studies and is well known for his research on development and democracy in africa. The conventional notions on the relationship between democracy and development are that democracy accelerates development. Democracy, political stability, and developing country growth.
Democracy and sustainable development in nigeria akudo chinedu ojoh research paper undergraduate politics international politics topic. A complex relationship by pranab bardhan university of california at berkeley i most of us, ardent democrats all, would like to believe that democracy is not merely good in itself, it is also valuable in enhancing the process of development. Thomas chukwuma ijere democracy and development in nigeria. A study of some selected local government areas in ondo state, nigeria. If the national fate of this country had also oscillated between democracy and. Finally, the paper would proffer possible solutions and make necessary recommendations that would help deepen true democratic culture in nigeria. Controversy shrouds the role of nigerian legislature in national development.
Democracy and development in africa university of michigan. Democracy, political participation and good governance in nigeria. Since then, the nature of the democratic project has been the subject of debate in various circles. National interest and national development in nigeria. Jerry hyman senior adviser and president, the hills program on governance, csis democracy has an important role to play in promoting sustainable development. Thus democracy is a central determinant of the quality of life, and a central element in the ability of men and women to live freely and autonomously as human beings.
Democracy and governance in africa africas continuing reliance on foreign aid has increased the opportunities for bilateral and multilateral aid agencies to influence policy making in the region. Key words, democracy, politics, dissent, mass media, democratization process. Centre for democracy and development was established in the uk in 1997, registered in nigeria in 1999 as an independent, notforprofit, research. Free and fair elections, independent media, accountable government, as well as other basic democratic principles, are all critical components of an environment conducive to growth. In other words, it is a peoples government informed by the majority for the interest of the greatest number in society. To achieve national development targets, nigeria should encourage national integration and stand against anything that will disturb the peace of the country. History of democracy in nigeria and when did nigeria. The role of the united nations brought together more than 80 policymakers, practitioners and aca.
This has to do both with ideational factorsthe absence of a liberal tradition. Claude ake 18 february 1939 in omoku 7 november 1996 was a nigerian political scientist from omoku, the rivers states, nigeria. See the problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria. National interest and national development the term national interest is characterized with inconsistency. It identified the problems that have militated against nigerias democratic sustainability in the past to include lack of proper democratic institutions. It was seen as the requirement for the country to develop following the triumph of. This paper is a contribution to the debate on democratization and development in nigeria. A key regional player in west africa, nigeria accounts for about half of west. Democracy is popularly defined as the government of the people by the people for the people. This summary document highlights the key conclusions and recommendations that were developed by participants at the round table. The key instruments for sharing include unemployment insurance, access to affordable housing, and access to health. The structure of the nigerian economy is typical of an underdeveloped country.
The role of governance and democracy in development. This unsavory scenario has snowballed in the lamentable decline in the roles of civil society in contemporary democratic governance in nigeria. Reflections on contemporary nigerian writings authors, adeyemi amos adegboyega abstract. It was in many ways a revival of the second republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple ministries which made policy planning difficult citation needed. In so doing, the paper will highlight the meaning and importance of the judiciary in nigeria. Nigeria is unarguably one of the most influential countries in africa. The impact of military rule on democracy in nigeria. National development also has altogether, only materialized in the inscrutable imaginations of nigerias national development planners. This paper adopted unemployment, poverty and corruption as the yardstick for measuring performance of the nigerian economy. Democracy in nigeria is alien and its practice has proved difficult.
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