UCLA National Black Law Journal Title Democracy in Nigeria Permalink Publication Date (original) (raw)
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DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: “CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS”
Original Article, 2015
Nigeria and the world over, everybody and every nation clamor for democracy now. A development informed by the curiosity for greater freedom and right to liberty which everyone yearns for through inclusions of its clause in the constitution, the Blueprint for Governance that is popularly elected. The word has found favor and flavor even to the household and where even political leadership everywhere wants to be associated with it in their statecraft. No one wants to be called a tyrant or addressed as authoritarian, even though, in action they are. It has been certified by the political scientists all over and law experts, as the best form of government that guarantees sustainable national development in a state and its stability and quality citizenry. To this end, Nigeria adopted it from her independence in 1960 but was confronted with some challenges that impeded her prospects for rapid growth and development efforts. This paper examines democracy in Nigeria and its trends from independence to date and twenty years after, looking at challenges and prospects and how events unfold to confirm or dispute the level of democracy and democratization process in Nigeria. In conceptualizing democracy therefore, its contextualization is drawn to the Nigerian experience and the patterns it takes for its theory and practice. Is it the one characterized by crises and conflicts or is it that which is peaceful and violent- free? Is it the one that offers its dividends or is it democracy of the stomach? These and other thematic questions are raised and examined in the text.
Democracy in Nigeria: "Challenges and Prospect in the Next 20 Years"
Nigeria and the world over, everybody and every nation clamor for democracy now. A development informed by the curiosity for greater freedom and right to liberty which everyone yearns for through inclusions of its clause in the constitution, the Blueprint for Governance that is popularly elected. The word has found favor and flavor even to the household and where even political leadership everywhere wants to be associated with it in their statecraft. No one wants to be called a tyrant or addressed as authoritarian, even though, in action they are. It has been certified by the political scientists all over and law experts, as the best form of government that guarantees sustainable national development in a state and its stability and quality citizenry. To this end, Nigeria adopted it from her independence in 1960 but was confronted with some challenges that impeded her prospects for rapid growth and development efforts. This paper examines democracy in Nigeria and its trends from independence to date and twenty years after, looking at challenges and prospects and how events unfold to confirm or dispute the level of democracy and democratization process in Nigeria. In conceptualizing democracy therefore, its contextualization is drawn to the Nigerian experience and the patterns it takes for its theory and practice. Is it the one characterized by crises and conflicts or is it that which is peaceful and violent- free? Is it the one that offers its dividends or is it democracy of the stomach? These and other thematic questions are raised and examined in the text.
Democracy in Nigeria: Practice, Problems and Prospects
Developing Country Studies, 2014
The purpose of this paper is to attempt a critical appraisal of the pace, practise, pattern, priorities, problems and prospects of Nigerian democracy. While it remains true that Nigeria is governed by democratically elected leaders at the federal and state levels, Nigeria is yet to institutionalise democracy after a century of existence as a political entity. The paper discusses some of the impediments to the institutionalisation of democracy in Nigeria after more than half a century of political independence. Some of these are the country's colonial background interspersed by vagaries engendered by deep-rooted ethnicity; complacent and spendthrift leadership; incessant intervention of the military in the democratic process; electoral fraud; wide spread poverty and high illiteracy level. The paper argues that the pivot around which most of the factors listed above revolve is corruption which has virtually become a way of life in Nigeria. The paper however contends that the above notwithstanding, the prospect of a politically stable and democratically viable nation is marked by people's eagerness to participate in the electoral process; the relative stability and sustenance of multi-party system and the general realisation in the country that the only acceptable and popular route to the acquisition of political power is the ballot box. The paper obtains its data from primary and secondary source materials and employs the historical method of data analysis-simple descriptive collation and analysis of historical data.
Constitutionalism in Nigeria: Politics and Law in an Emerging African Democracy
2022
C omplaints of lack of single comprehensive texts to aid learning and research by students, in the thirty years that I have taught courses on Constitutional Law and Developments in the 'Siamese Twins' disciplines of Political Science and Law across f ive universities and a research institute in Nigeria, provided the needed impetus and inspiration to write and complete this book. Its preparation had stayed for so long in conception and implementation in view of the ever-dynamic nature of the subject-matter and the fast-changing pace of constitutional developments in Nigeria. The demands have always been for a book that covers the different phases of Nigerian constitutional developments, while at the same time exposing students and other readers to the historical and theoretical foundations of the main constitutional ideas, doctrines and principles that underlie the provisions of the various constitutions. My idea of the teaching and study of constitutional developments, whether in the discipline of Law or Political Science, is that no proper understanding of issues, events and case developments can be had unless students, practitioners and casual readers have deep theoretical grounding of the basic ideas and traditions that come into serious considerations whenever issues bordering on constitutions and constitutional developments are thrown up for discussions. In my humble view, there can be no proper understanding of such common provisions of the Nigerian Constitutional Law on issues of federal-state relations, fundamental human rights, separation of powers, fundamental objectives and directive principles, independence of the judiciary, federal character, derivation, electoral law and practices, political party systems, etc., without an excursion, howbeit brief, into the philosophical foundations or theoretical underpinnings of the origin and developments of the ideas across ages, cultures and geography. Also, there can be no complete understanding of contemporary developments on Nigerian constitutionalism without some basic knowledge of the historical and other contextual factors that shaped and are shaping legal and political developments. The sheer size of the bourgeoning literature on Nigerian government and politics necessarily saddles the teachers and students of constitutional law and political developments with the arduous task of scanning too many materials and attempting to reconcile many contending paradigms to keep abreast of the leading discourses on the subject matter. While this may be a natural course for a teacher who is used to such exercise as an academic, intellectual or analyst, such an exercise may not be suited to student beginners and casual readers who seek some basic understanding, in both spread and depth, of the principles, ideas and developments of the Nigerian constitutional law and politics. There are a few noteworthy authoritative texts of signif icance in the f ield, x I thank these and several others who have made this publication possible. But I take full responsibility for any def iciencies or errors contained therein.
2005
Since Nigeria's transition from military to civilian "democratic" mle in 1999, there has been a debate among Nigetian and international commentators abo11t just h01v de111ocratic (or llnde!llocratic) govemance and the exercise of power has become in the country. This essay contributes to this important debate. Refying 011 observed incidents and phmomma and on ne1vspaper repotts and informal conversations behJJeen the author and a ct·oss-sectz'on of Nigerians, this essay brings to the front-blimer the conh'fJdiction behveen the empbasis on popularity and acclamation in del!locratic dispetuatz'ons and the rmde!IJOcratic actions and disco11rses of elected government officials, 1uhicb are aimed, however dubio11s/y, at porh'aying the appearances o/ pop11lari!y, 11biqlfity and acclamation. Using several examples from the last five years of civilian "democt'fJtzi:" rule in Nigena, I atJafyze this dilenJIIJa, JJihJi:b I advance as a problematic of...
A SYNOPSIS OF THE NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY K18-
KASHERE JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, 2024
This research paper makes a critical analysis of Nigerian Democracy. In the Global North and Global South, democracy has emerged as the most viable governmental system. Since its transition from military rule to democracy in 1999, Nigeria has navigated a complex political landscape marked by progress as well as persistent challenges. That is, the Nigerian State has navigated a tumultuous journey through various forms of democracy, driven by the conviction that it represents the sole acceptable political framework for the nation. Despite encountering considerable challenges, including the perceived inadequacies of the elections in 2003, 2007, and the mixed outcomes of those in 2011 and 2015, 2019 and 2023, the commitment to democracy remains deeply ingrained among the populace. With the adoption of content analysis and the liberal theory of state as a theoretical framework, the research critically explores the Nigerian Democracy since the fourth republic. The findings of this research paper are that, the fundamental measure of democracy lies in effective or good governance while good governance entails; improved living standards for the average person, heightened public perception of fair and judicious allocation and use of resources, restoration and functionality of essential infrastructure, economic diversification and increased trust in the electoral process. The research paper recommends citizens attitudinal change, electoral reforms, political party regulation, civic education, civil society engagement, judicial independence, anti-corruption measures, decentralization of power, ethnic and religious harmony, for effective consolidation of the Nigerian democracy.
NIGERIA DEMOCRACY AND ITS VALUE CHALLENGES
Since Nigeria returned to democracy in May 1999, after almost three decades of military rule, and almost two decades of economic crises, the country has been faced with the complex challenges of national reconciliation, national reconstruction and economic reform, and democratic consolidation. Nigeria continues to grapple with these challenges and the citizenry is still anxious to see and enjoy the benefits of " democracy dividends " – social welfare, justice, equity, and equal access to resources and power. The opening up of the political space by the return to democracy has not only raised the hopes of those groups that had been hither to marginalized or repressed, but also paradoxically raised the stakes in the competition for access to power and resources. In light of this, this chapter of the study will examine the Nigerian democracy and the challenges it is grappling with.
National Black law journal, 1985
DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA Michael P. Seng* On December 31, 1983, a military coup marked the end of Nigeria's sec- ond attempt to goven itself under a democratic constitution. In his maiden broadcast to the nation on January 2, 1984, the new head of state, General Mohammed Buhari cited the country's continuing economic ills as the leading cause for the coup; he also referred to the former civilian administration as corrupt, inept and insensitive and complained that the last elections held in the fall of 1983 were not free.' The new military regime was received by the populous with general rejoicing and the Nigerian press warmly welcomed the intrusion of the military into Nigeria's political evolution. 2 Yet just months before the coup, the Western press and diplomats were dubbing the 1983 elections a victory for democracy. 3 Nigeria, with an esti- mated population of 90,000,000, was the fourth largest multi-party democracy in the world, and one of the few countries in Afri...
Democratisation in Nigeria: Problems and Future Prospects
2016
ABSTRACT: Nigeria, as a major democracy in African continent, has to respect every faith, culture, community, language, and every identity which exists in Nigeria. There is immense need that government should manage all the gap and gulf between the different communities through working properly for the greater interest of all the citizens, without any differentiation and distinction. Those who are oppressed sections of this society, the greater attention is required for their betterment. All developing countries are in transition, and Nigeria is not different case from other developing countries. In summation, it can be said that democratic governance and accountable political system is needed to fulfil the vacuum. Democratic system of governance could be the real panacea of all the problems which country is facing. This paper is an attempt to understand the process of democratisation in Nigeria. Democratisation term will elucidate that whether the government is successful in promot...