liberal perspective of the Nigerian State (original) (raw)

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.

Topic: State, Society and Liberal Democracy in Nigeria

The new democratic dispensation in Nigeria was launched again in 1999 leading to the emergence of the fourth republic. This came after a long time of despotic military rule in the country. Democracy was highly embraced by all with expected hope that it will deliver good dividends and socioeconomic development. But not far into the fourth republic, the body polity became overheated by lots of challenges namely: corruption, electoral abnormalities, the politics of godfatherism, incessant poverty reinforced by mass unemployment, security question etc.

ANALYSIS OF DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIC PRACTISE IN NIGERIA FOURTH REPUBLIC

The Nigerian Voice, 2015

The model of democracy that is popular in this age of globalization is liberal democracy, democracy is a descriptive term that is synonymous with majority rule, it associated with democratic consolidation and good governance. However, in Nigeria, effort to attained the high level of democratic consolidation and good governance have been made but not yet to be crowned with much success. in order to advance and enduring democracy and democratic practice in Nigeria, Nigerian should follow the general pattern found in advanced democratic states and properly blended with indigenous peculiarities. This way an enviable political culture sustained by rule of law.

Liberal Democracy in Africa and its Challenges

2019

The idea of liberalism which emanated in the modern era gave ground for liberal democracy. This system of government was a credible solution for the elongated quest and research for the best system of government by the philosophers. Liberal democracy is a system of government that allows for multiple political parties competing for the control of government through genuine free and fair elections, constitutionalism including strong institutions that can pave ways for development. It is a system that is associated with the wholistic approach towards accountability, equality and proper participation of all citizens. However this system of government has not been at its best in African continent particularly in Nigeria because the three arms of government are characterized with corruption. Notwithstanding, Liberal democracy has a lot of benefits that are numerous. The idea of liberal democracy in Africa and its conflicting nature with the egoistic interests of African leaders has resul...

THE STATE AND THE PROBLEMS OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

The Nigerian state today is nothing more than a rentier state whose neo-colonial capitalist mode and social relations were not substantially modified by the rapid transfonnation from the production of agricultural commodities (palm oil, rubber, tin, cereals, etc.) to petroleum as the main source of capital accumulation. The unpredictability and volatility of the rentier economy has over the years been the central factor in all regime changes and democratic developments since independence. While in the core developed countries the. state historically evolved some measures of 'relative autonomy' from the economically dominant class and fractions, the state in Nigeria fuses class power and political power together. Thus the ongoing struggle for state power through the process ofdemocracy is simultaneously a struggle for the means of distribution and consumption which only power can confer. This paper therefore examines the structure of the Nigerian state and the attendant constraint it poses for the practice and sustainability of democracy and democratic institutions. The paper sums up the conclusion that the state in Nigeria is anti-thetical to the survival ofdemocracy since the,state has become politicised and instrumentalised into a partisan state that is at once the arena and object ofparticularist conflicts. .

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: “CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS”

Original Article, 2015

Democracy and National Development in Nigeria

Journal of Philosophy and Religion (IISTE) Vol.12 , 2015

This paper is a critical analysis of democratic practice in Nigeria. It identifies the disconnection between the electorates and the elected leaders as the major cause for the non-realization of the values of democracy in Nigeria. This disconnection results from the wrong interpretation of the concept of politics in the contemporary Nigerian society, which has also paved way for the wrong interpretation and practice of democracy as a political ideology. The paper argues that politics in the contemporary Nigeria is interpreted in the Machiavellian way thereby making politics not to achieve its true essence. For democracy to realize its values, the paper argues for the traditional conception of politics where the pursuit of public interest and social order is considered paramount to political practice.

Challenges to Democratic Development in Nigeria 1999 -2013

Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015

This paper attempts to look at some challenges impeding Nigerian democratic development. Nigerian democracy is apparently enshrouded or marred by manipulation of religion, region, ethnicity, rigging, post-election violence, and abuse of human rights etcetera. This exploitation of democracy has been growing from simple to complex in all nooks and crannies of the country since the return to civilian rule in 1999. The struggles for selfdetermination by Africans during the colonial period strongly and clearly aimed at a democratic system of government, where the majority could determine who gets what, when and how. Moreover, it is a known fact that the basis and beauty of any democratic dispensation lies in its ability to conduct free, fair and credible elections at all levels as well as respect human rights. This undoubtedly paves the way for other democratic dividends. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, right from the First Republic to the present-day, the opposition parties have been suppressed and manipulated a great deal; with no hope for justice and fair play from the electoral bodies and even the judiciary which is supposed to be the last resort of the common man at the grassroots. Therefore, the paper unearths and elucidates on some democratic challenges in the Fourth Republic. Finally and sanguinely, this paper concludes that the interpretations and assessments in this research will provide positive historical evaluation and paradigm shift in apprehending the realities of Nigerian democracy and proffering solutions to the impediments therein.

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.

liberal perspective of the Nigerian State (original) (raw)

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