Separation of power is gradually fading in emerging democracy in Nigeria (original) (raw)
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The Implications of Executive-Legislative Conflicts on Good Governance in Nigeria
Public Policy and Administration Research, 2013
The legislature and executive are two very important political institutions in presidential democratic regimes and they have a very critical task to play in promoting good governance. The achievement of this task however is dependent on whether the relationship that exists between these institutions is constructive or conflictive. In Nigeria's Fourth Republic for example, the relationship between the executive and legislature has been characterised more by dysfunctional conflicts which often deadlocks the policy making and implementation process, ultimately inhibiting good governance. More worrisome is the fact that even after thirteen years of democratisation in Nigeria, the political players have refused to wean themselves off from the culture of impunity and flagrant disregard to the rule of law, which are the twin evil introduced into the country's body politics by the military. These factors and others have remained the triggers of political conflicts in Nigeria especially between the executive and legislative arms of government. This study therefore carried out an incisive analysis of the implications of executive-legislative conflicts on good governance in Nigeria and it clearly found out that executive-legislative conflicts have profound negative and positive impacts on good governance in the country. The research methodology adopted in this study is both descriptive and analytical. In conclusion, the study recommends that both the executive and legislature should respect and strictly adhere to the tenets of the principles of separation of powers so as to avoid frictions that could be counter-productive to the discharge of their constitutional duties, while embracing dialogue in resolving their differences. It is also imperative that both institutions should see themselves as complementary partners in the administration of the Nigerian state and as such synergize in the policy making and implementation process with a view to promoting good governance in Nigeria.
Executive Legislative Relations and Good Governance in Nigeria: Historical and Current Reflections
2018
The provision of good governance has today become a major index of measuring the success or otherwise of governments globally. This is particularly true of Africa and other developing countries experiencing myriads of challenges that tend to make the provision of good governance a mirage. This paper, using the theory of separation of power focuses on examining the relationship between the executive and legislature and the extent to which this relationship has promoted or hampered the provision of good governance in Nigeria. The paper relied on the use of secondary data in its attempt to look at historical and current realities. The paper identified the struggle for supremacy, long history of military rule, selfish tendencies as some of the factors that pre – occupied both arms thereby making them unable to effectively deliver in the area of provision of good governance. The paper recommends among others the strengthening of the justice system, building of national rather than paroch...
EXECUTIVE-LEGISLATURE CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA'S FOURTH REPUBLIC
Faculty of Social Sciences, UsmanuDanfodiyo University, Sokoto, 2019
The doctrine of separation of powers, an essential prerequisite of a presidential democracy, provides for a division of powers of government into three distinct arms; the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The importance of this division cannot be over emphasized for it is only by separating the function of execution from that of law-making, by insisting that every executive action must have the authority of some law, and by prescribing different procedures for law-making, can be arbitrariness of executive action be effectively checked. Primary and Secondary data were gathered for this study using a sample size of 100 respondents representing 10% sample fraction of the study population approximately 1000. Secondary data were also sourced from books, journals, government publications, magazines, newspapers and Internet materials. This paper found that arbitrariness and domineering attitude of the executive over the legislature fuelled executive-legislature conflict, thus weakening the ability of the legislature to effectively perform their fundamental role of citizens' representation through legislation and oversight functions. Also, there is a systematic and gradual paradigm shift from the culture of overbearing executive influence to legislature omnipotence, hence indicating the conflictual base of their interactions. In addition, the analysis of the impact of the executive legislature conflict showed that negative impact outweighs the positive impact on the development of Nigeria during the fourth Republic. This paper concluded that that Nigeria has not enjoyed democratic order and political stability due to constant executive-legislature conflict.
International Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research (IJAMR), 2020
The main thrust of this study is to examined the legislative-executive conflict and its implications on democratic governance and maintenance of rule of law in Nigeria from 2015 to 2019. With specific reference to the legislative process and investigates how the "power-relations" were managed to enhance good democratic governance. Understanding legislature executive relation is crucial to building democratic values and ideal for the sustenance of basic institutions and ensuring effective interaction towards democratic development. This study has adopted the Theory of Separation of Powers as propounded by Baron Montesquieu as its framework of analysis. The data used for this study were collected through the secondary source which was obtained from the review of related literature. Discussion revealed the existence of harmony and conflict. The attendant politics of legitimacy or the lack of it, as well as mutual distrust and frosty relations between the legislature and the executive dominated the period. Divergent interests which sometimes characterize a heterogeneous society like Nigeria accounts for the Legislative and Executive conflict especially in a nascent democracy as Nigeria. The paper succinctly draws a conclusion towards strengthening Legislative-Executive relationship in Nigeria. The quest for political power by both the executive and the legislative must be sorted out in the manner in which the political environment of the country is structured in its constitution.
Executive-Legislative Relations in Nigeria's Fourth Republic: Issues, Challenges and Prospects
Idrees Mahmud Gana, 2023
This study examines the executive-legislative relations in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. The study's objective was to ascertain the extent to which Nigeria's democratic form of government was influenced by disagreements between the administration and the legislature. The study employed an expost facto design and also utilized qualitative methods and important information from literature research. Documentation was used to gather the majority of the data from secondary sources, and content analysis was used to give the information a complete and comprehensible explanation. Because of its ability to describe the pattern of relations between the legislative and executive branches in Nigeria's democratic system, Baron Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers, which was created in 1948, was chosen as the framework for examination. The study discovered that the relationships between the legislative and executive branches were unhealthy, antagonistic, conflictual, and dysfunctional during the study period, particularly from 2015 to 2022. Additionally, it is demonstrated that a variety of elements, including constitutional provisions, the capacity to pass laws, the administration of public funds, the perception of executive dominance, haughtiness, and a disregard for the law, among others, are to blame for the ongoing conflicts between the Legislative and Executive arms that have a detrimental effect on the development of democracy in Nigeria. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the connection between the executive and legislative arms of government be reinforced in order to promote a democracy that functions in Nigeria. Additionally, it is recommended that those in public office respect the law.
The Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary: Toward Democratic Governance in Nigeria Since 1914
Journal of Economic Info (JEI), 2019
The paper examined governance in Nigeria since 1914, and look at how the executive, legislatures, and the judiciary operate in the country, indeed, the three arms of government are believing to operate as a watchdog to each other. This study is qualitative, the researcher obtained all the relevant and related data from the documented material, the research designed for this paper is a case study approach, it also helps in providing an in-depth understanding of a case where the researcher digs deeply into a phenomenon in obtaining the related literature. To support the paper the researcher adopted pluralism theory to explain the write-up. The postulation of the theory is to examine political actions in modern democratic states. The study found that the northern and the southern region were amalgamated by the British administration for their personal and economic gain, without considering the complex nature heterogeneity nature of the nation. This has created several problems across the nation. Therefore, the study recommended that for peaceful democratic governance all the three arms of government shall have autonomous power to discharge their constitutional responsibilities. No, any arm shall exercise the powers of the other. Again, for Nigeria to live in peace and harmony, and to attain national and economic development there is a need to accept the principle of unity of purpose. ARTICLE INFORMATION
Exploring the Factors Responsible for Executive-Legislature Conflicts in Nigeria
Journal of security studies and global politics, 2017
The objective of the paper is to explore the factors contributing to the conflicts between the Legislature and Executive branches using Nigeria as a case between1999-2015. This is because Nigerians across social strata lament over the huge cost of this conflict in the polity. Throughout the history of the Nigerian Government, public officials, political practitioners, journalists, scholars, and other observers have commented on legislative-executive relations, their variation, and their underlying causes and consequences. A wide variety of viewpoints has been expressed, about both conflict and cooperation, whether one or the other dominates, and whether benefits or liabilities result from either. Some, for instance, see conflict between the executive and legislature as a necessary and beneficial precondition to limiting and controlling government. Yet others view it as contributing to gridlock over major public policy decisions, thus, making government ineffective. This paper is part of the debate. The data for this study were generated from Focus Group Discussion and documentary sources. Information generated was analyzed using tables and the technique of content analysis. Conclusions arrived after analyses include budgetary and constituency project issues are the major casual factors.
Democracy and good governance: Nigerias dilemma
African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 2010
Despite its enormous resources and huge potentialities, Nigeria remains grossly undeveloped. Consequently, political instability, abject poverty, acute youth unemployment, heightened crime rate, poor health prospects and widespread malnourishment have been the main features of Nigeria's political economy. The development tragedy in Nigeria fits into the trends of political instability for which Africa has become infamous for in the past three decades. This further lends credence to the arguments by some students of African politics that governance is one of the major problems in Africa. This paper argues that the problem of development in Nigeria is a problem of governance; when defined in term of the proper, fair and equitable allocation of resources for the achievement of the end or purposes of the state, which is the promotion of the common good. The paper submits that for good governance to be feasible in Nigeria, sound anti-corruption policies devoid of mere speeches must be put in place. Furthermore, the paper recommends a functional legislature, a viable and independent judiciary, and the attitudinal transformation on the part of the political elite, the absence of which good governance and development will continue to be a mirage.
Several decades after political independence, Nigeria is still faced with the problem of the right model of governance that will achieve its noble objectives. Following the collapse of the First Republic, Nigeria jettisoned the Westminster parliamentary system and adopted the presidential system. Neither has the parliamentary nor the presidential model of governance been able to guarantee the political stability that is much needed for development and the relationship between the executive and legislature being the single most problematic issue. With heavy reliance on empirical and secondary data, this paper examines the nature of legislature-executive relations at the state level of Nigeria’s presidential system and found that these two political institutions have been relating with each other under an atmosphere of mutual suspicion, acrimony and political rivalry orchestrated largely by local godfathers in alliance with the presidency. It therefore argues that, while legislative-executive conflict may be inevitable in the presidential democratic government, mechanism for harmonious relationship between the legislature and executive is imperative for good governance in Nigeria.
POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: MYTHS AND REALITY
Nigerians, having been subjected to different forms of exploitation and misrule, from the mercantilist era to the present era of neoliberalism, appear justified in assessing every form of government including democracy, merely from the point of economic emancipation. Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has undergone repeated cycles of democratic and authoritarian rule, with the military governing for a total of 29 years in the post-colonial era. There was much expression of hope for a 'democracy dividend' that would bring economic revitalization, a restoration of political liberties, inclusion for marginalized groups, and the attenuation of official wrongdoing when democracy returned in 1999. Unfortunately, Nigeria's eighteen-year democracy is yet to significantly fulfill the hope and aspirations of the generality of the citizens. In fact, it seems to have created more anxieties in such areas as security of life and property, electoral violence, and the national economy. It is important to note also that, achieving sustained socioeconomic development will demand solving some of Nigeria's political problems (like fiscal federalism, state police etc) which economists and even politicians pretend have been solved.