Samuel ogbemudias 83rd birthday at bishop kelly pastoral centre. 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 population is poor due bad governance. The major donors have been meeting frequently in order to discuss development and debt problems and to devise aid strategies for african governments. The challenge of democracy in africa history with mr. The theoretical framework for the study is cultural relativism.
Criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 1. Obasanjo saw debt relief as essential to the relief of hunger and the future of democracy in nigeria and the rest of africa. It was then possible to restore the democratic model for a couple of years in 1978. They date back as far as the 5th century bc, when communities living around the southern slopes of the jos plateau make wonderfully expressive terracotta figures in a tradition known now as the nok culture, from the nigerian village where these.
Pdf chapter summary the dominance of the liberal democratic orthodoxy. Problems and prospects of the evoting option idike, adeline nnenna, a department of public administration and local government university of nigeria, nsukka email. Nigeria is a famous country with more than one hundred and forty million population. In the context of the evoting option therefore, the paper finally proposes solutions to the electoral process experimentations in nigerias democracy. Democracy, good governance, corruption, human rights, electoral reform. The importance of a constitution in any given society cannot be overemphasized. Its meaning and dissenting opinions of the political.
When democracy is abused, good governance becomes elusive and evasive. David imhonopi at covenant university ota ogun state, nigeria. They came not from any doctrine that the people, all free members of the clan, have a right to rule when they became elders an elder was sworn into office by popular vote, but from the feeling that an end. For ikhide, democracy has, far from doing nigeria good, set the country back decades and provided a perfect alibi for the political class to bankrupt and bury the country once and for all. The society could be as small as a family clan and as large as a superpower. 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. The history of constitutional development in nigeria is a chequered one, culminating in a.
The third wave of democracy meant a global diffusion of democratic norms and ideas in hitherto authoritarian states. Over years, nigeria has been wallowing in the coffin of poverty, underdevelopment, unemployment, power instability, securities menace, and political hullabaloos, all this has been a problem combating a nation that was once giant of africa, democracy in nigeria. Criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 2. Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria. Democracy and governance in africa the national academies press. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in. It explores from a historical perspective the pernicious effect of.
Mar 09, 2020 constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date. Methodologically, data for this paper were generated mainly from secondary sources of recorded human documents. Democracy in nigeria problems and prospects information. Schumpeter cited in ukase 2014 sees democracy as a method by which decisionmaking is transferred to individuals who have gained power in a. However, for elections to be termed democratic, it must be free and fair. Democracy day marks the day the military handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1999, marking the beginning of the longest continuous civilian rule since nigerias independence from colonial rule in 1960. The paper argues that the political leadership class in nigeria cannot exonerate itself from the current travails of socioeconomic underdevelopment in the country. History of nigerian constitutional development the jet lawyer.
Introduction democracy is a vital instrument that propels political proficiency, economic development and social stability of any nation state. Constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date. Nigeria is unarguably one of the most influential countries in africa. As a result, there is a high level of alienation in our cultural realms. Tough words, but those who know ikhide know that he can be unapologetically melodramatic and passionate in expressing his opinions.
Mar 17, 2016 history of nigerian constitutional development introduction. It was the dawn of the fourth republic, a return to. Democracy, political participation and good governance in. First, the spread of islam, predominantly in the north but later in southwestern nigeria as well, began a. The implication of nigerian democracy history essay. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p. However, how democracy has driven the much needed development. It depends to a large extent on the historical experiences of a. 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. Democracy day marks the day the military handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1999, marking the beginning of the longest continuous civilian rule since nigeria s independence from colonial rule in 1960.
Democracy and governance in africa democratization in. Ajayi department of geography, university of ibadan, nigeria abstract perhaps one major problem facing nigeria today that has received little or no attention remains her low industrial base. Democracy day is june 12, a national public bank holiday in nigeria. N 4 nnamdi azikiwe library university of nigeria nsukka. It identified the problems that have militated against nigerias democratic sustainability in the past to include lack of proper democratic institutions.
Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the. Nigeria borders niger in the north, chad in the northeast, cameroon in the east, and benin in the west. The choice of that date and the political significance it has acquired are due. After nigeria gained independence in the year 1960, the country experienced its first military coup in the year 1966. Pdf democracy and democratic experiment the nigerian. Therefore, the problem with federalism in nigeria is the mixapplication or nonapplication of this clause especially as it has to do with power distribution awa, 1977. In africa and nigeria in particular, the last one and half decade have been most commendable as we have witnessed the consolidation of democracy. Williams university of west florida john dewey was a pragmatist, progressivist, educator, philosopher, and social reformer gutek. For nigeria democracy to move toward democratic consolidation and good governance in fourth republic, we urge incoming administration to follow the following prospects. Excerpts from a public lecture to mark retired briggen. On october 1 nigeria added to its list of vital statistics a new status as the worlds fourth largest democracy. It is the fundamental and organic law of a nation or state that establishes. As observed by nwanolue and ojukwu 2012, the general success of any practicing democracy is deeply incumbent upon three major. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960.
Moreover, october 1 is more appropriate for marking democracy day, assuming there is need to celebrate democracy, taking into consideration the landmark national events that took place on that day. Nigeria is currently enjoying the 16 th consecutive year of democratic governance for the first time in her postcolonial history after the military handed over power to the olusegun obasanjo led administration on may 29 th 1999, democracy in nigeria witnessed a rather smooth change of power from one civilian led administration to the other as was seen in 2007 when then president obasanjo. Accordingly, democracy in nigeria cannot be consolidated amidst high level. Despite obasanjos efforts, nigeria was still beset by a variety of problems. Democracy and sustainable development in nigeria akudo chinedu ojoh research paper. An analysis grace malachi brown, phd department of history and diplomatic studies faculty of humanities rivers state university of education pmb 5047, rumuolumeni port harcourt, rivers state nigeria. History of nigerian constitutional development the. The history of constitutional development in nigeria is a chequered one, culminating in a nationstate, where cohesion has almost remain elusive. Obviously, the term democracy has a long standing history with opposing or contradictory. Until june 6, 2018, it was held annually on may 29.
Problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria infoguideng. Wednesday last week was a public holiday because, according to the federal government, 29the may is democracy day. Democracy in nigeria has been a mere political desideratum hanging on a limping utopia adewusi, 2011. Thomas chukwuma ijere democracy and development in nigeria. Instead of democracy, what has been perfected in nigeria, as at today is kleptocracy. The constitution provides for a bicameral national assembly, which consists of the house of representatives and the. Nigerias election below the minimum democracy standard.
After independence in 1960, that year nigerians became the citizens of the 4th biggest democratic country in the word nigeria experienced its first military coup in 1966. History of democracy in nigeria and when did nigeria. Benue state university, makurdi, benue state, nigeria email. The paper discusses some of the impediments to the institutionalisation of democracy in nigeria after more. As agenda setters, the mass media have many roles to play in promoting the cultural heritage of nigeria. Nigerias flag consists of three equal vertical bands of green, white, and green. We can say government is a system that exercises sovereign authority over a society. The new civil war broke in 1967 and lasted til 1970. Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other other nation in africa. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. Democracy in nigeria is alien and its practice has proved difficult. Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between 1068 ad and hausa states around 85 ad during the.
There are roadblocks to a strong democracy in nigeria at all levels of government. Conflicttriggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalriesposes a major threat to democracy. Everyone expected the return of nigeria to democratic rule will bring about development. In view of this, the thrust of this paper is a reflection on the tides of electoral violence and the attendant precipitating factors. In another development, corruption is one of the basic challenges confronting democracy, democratic consolidation and good governance in nigerias fourth republic, however, we. The nascent democracy in nigeria is plagued with myriad of intrigues. A true democracy is a sine qua non for the development of all sectors of any countrys economy. An appraisal of the peoples democratic party pdp sixteen years 2 international journal of research in humanities and social studies v2 i9 september 2015 democracy in the literature is contested and for political science the theorization of the concept of. Democracy and sustainable development in nigeria grin. Historical divisions in the nigerian labour movement. Its southern coast is on the gulf of guinea in the atlantic ocean. This is why the history of the evolution of constitutional governments in nigeria deserved to be studies.
Analysing the democracy and democratic practise in nigeria. History of nigeria the history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers nigerians living in the area as early as 1100 bc. See the problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria. One of the many factors shaping it is the history of the country in question. These exemplary steps towards democracy in west africa were not secluded to the region, nor were they the first in africas long history. This is a major step towards stabilizing and entrenching democracy in nigeria. Several dominant themes in nigerian history are essential for understanding contemporary nigerian politics and society. History of democracy in nigeria what a government is. Theres an assumption that despite multiple deprivations, nigerians can take solace in the knowledge that they have democracy, writes moses ochonu. But the kind of democracy practised by abuja has delivered neither improved standards of living nor abstract benefits. For real democracy to take hold in nigeria not only will the people of nigeria have to fight the internal enemies of democracy, they will also have to overcome the crushing power of the military godfathers, who cynically subvert or stymie moves towards genuine democracy in nigeria.
Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Nation of the world have different system of government that is being practiced which ranges from monarchy, aristocracy, democracy just to mention in few, but history will never be completely written if the system of government was not included in the history of the nation. Numerous ancient african civilizations settled in the region that is today nigeria, such as the kingdom of nri, the benin empire, and the oyo empire. Nigeria, however, had experienced the first military coup in the year, 1966, while its civil war actually broke out in the year, 1967, and lasted up till 1970. The civil war then broke out in 1967 and lasted all through 1970. How be it some nigerians see these political dissent as a necessary tool to a. The constitution, in nigerias situation, is the supreme law of the land which all acts of individuals and of parliament must not contravene. The erosion of good governance by the practice of democracy has deepened the crisis of democracy. It was possible to restore the democratic model for a couple of years in 1978. The paper concludes that for democracy to achieve its goals there is the need for the government. After nigeria gained independence in 1960, the country was ranked as the citizens of the 4th biggest democratic country the world over.
Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. 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. Challenges facing democracy in nigeria and solutions. It also analyzes the challenges facing democracy and the process of democratic experiment in nigeria, with historical analysis of first fourth republic. In view of this, the thrust of this paper is a reflection on the tides of electoral violence and the attendant precipitating factors that make free and fair election pretty difficult in nigeria. Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system. From a historical perspective, the formation of what is now called. We reiterate that democracy and development cohabit and inactivity of the former destroys the later. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria 1. Under the 1999 constitution, executive power is vested in a president who serves as both the head of state and the chief executive, is directly elected to a fouryear term, and nominates the vice president and members of the cabinet. It is also the worlds eighth largest producer of crude oil and has been the united states second largest supplier for six. Although the years since nigerias return to civilian rule in 1999 have seen an increased interest in its history and politics, nigeria remains one of the most underresearched african countries. Before venturing fully into the history of democracy in nigeria, we need to know what a government is and who the government is.
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