Nigeria is a plural/heterogeneous society that should, therefore, desist from practicing such divisive/nepotic tendencies to avoid feelings of not being included or left out in Nigeria's federalism. Democracy and Development in Nigeria, Economic and Environmental Issues. The failure of democracy to guarantee positive development outcomes is attributed to poor political leadership and weak institutions driven by the absence of developmental elites and state capture. First, it is spendthrift. 72 For a detailed discussion of the development, growth and characteristics of democracy in the Greek City States, see Claude Ake . As Africa's most populous country, largest economy and most notable democracy, Nigeria is a bellwether for the continent. Nigeria's Biggest Problem Is Corruption. Ansaru is also broadly aligned with Al Qaeda. Mar 18, 2010. Democracy encourages the citizens to take part in the political process and at different levels through different means .This paper examines the concept of democracy, elections and political participation in Nigeria since the return of democracy in Nigeria 1999 to 2 011. Moses Ochonu. But Nigeria will only have effective governance when the right people are saddled with the responsibility to govern. Consequently, our fledgling democracy is encumbered by many challenges, particularly electoral . It emerged in 2012 and is motivated by an anti-Nigerian Government and anti-Western agenda. Conger J et al (1988) Behavioural Dimension of charismatic leadership Chicago, University of Chicago press. M. E. (2005) THE STATE AND THE PROBLEMS OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA. positing that Nigeria's democracy is endangered as political intolerance, and economic frustration gather momentum in the form of assassinations, intimidations, threats and hostage taken across Nigeria. . KEYWORDS: Democracy, Electoral Process, E-Voting INTRODUCTION . Corruption. In Nigeria, the current population as estimated by Human Development report for instance has over 196 million people. Insecurity is unarguably the greatest threat to Nigeria nascent democracy. In the northern part of the country, there is the problem of a mindless sect, Boko Haram! Related to the political impediments toward the survival of democracy in Nigeria is the economic angle, wherein the practice ofdemocracy since 1999 has been characterized by severe economic and social problems. Despite Obasanjo's efforts, Nigeria was still beset by a variety of problems. The causes of corruption include greed, tribalism and nepotism, and the general disposition towards corruption in the country. . Democracy in Nigeria is facing three major challenges and there is no better time to discuss these challenges than when conversations are ongoing around International democracy day.Lack of trust in the judicial system, Electoral malpractices and Money politics and Unfulfilled manifestos. Corruption pervades the daily lives of Nigerians. Poverty. The major problems of Nigerian democracy includes: Undue favoritism High handedness Marginalization Religious intolerance Ethnic conflict Greater percentage of uneducated citizens Greed Inexperienced leadership Shabby Constitution O yes members (band wagon) Corruption which is the father of them all While recognizing the importance of these aforementioned problems, in this The country is notorious as one of the most corrupted countries in the world. . In fact, the welfare of the common man . . By this, they should initiate policies and mechanisms for citizens and private . A weakening economy, rising insecurity and violent conflicts threaten progress made in its democratic development. Poverty and Illiteracy make the people gullible and they can be easily bought over by corrupt politicians. In the southern part of Nigeria, there is the menace of kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery. Nigerian democracy is a brand of democracy that spends so much to accomplish so little (where and when it achieves anything at all). Prospects For Democracy In Liberia by Josiah Joekai, Emergence Of Democratic Governance In Liberia Challenges And Prospects read eBooks online. Problems and Prospects of Sustaining Democracy in Nigeria by Bamidele A. Ojo, June 2001, . The mode of transfer power from one government to another is always accompanied by tension. Second, it invests in the comfort of officials rather than in human and material resources. These issues remain critical governance problems: Leadership challenges, corruption, lack of transparency, constitutional and electoral reforms, rising civil strife, poverty, unemployment, godfatherism, lack of human security and human rights. 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. The purpose of this paper is to attempt a critical appraisal of the pace, practise, pattern, priorities, problems and prospects of Nigerian democracy. In Nigeria, democratic practice and its consequent protection of human rights are not what they ought to be. Nigeria's democracy. The problem has been PARTY politics means different things to different people in Nigeria. The tribe has been accepted at one time as a friend, rejected as an enemy at another, and finally smuggled in through . The opposition of groups like Nadeco and Abacha's death in 1998 ushered in Nigeria's democracy in 1999 and in many ways, Mr Tinubu, a former Mobil oil executive . Despite Obasanjo's efforts, Nigeria was still beset by a variety of problems. Some politicians are in office just for the singular aim of stealing. First, it is spendthrift. Vol. Democracy therefore is a desirable ideal to which every country should aim. Democracy with moral imperatives is a vehicle for genuine development. Nigeria. Smith (2009) operationalises democracy as "a system of government that provides meaningful failed to achieve democracy. Loyalty is to party ahead of the country.. The flagrant violation of human rights in democratic Nigeria by so many governmental agencies casts doubt on the facticity of real democratic practice in Nigeria. A trained accountant, it was the activities of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (Nadeco) group, where he was a member, that brought him into Abacha's crosshairs. More than 70% of the population of Nigeria live below the poverty line. Conflicttriggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalriesposes a major threat to democracy. These included war, violence, corruption, poverty, and hunger. A society that can't act to protect itself from outrages like Uvalde is no longer a democracy in any meaningful sense. tribalism. The solution to our problems is not military dictatorship, but ensuring that democracy truly works in Nigeria. Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to carry out their mandates. However, change cannot be spontaneous. Ade Okeaya Inneh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in his paper titled: The Adjudicatory process and the survival of Democracy (2010), postulates that the court being the tool of the judiciary, is the . Implement legal instruments and standards. That takes me to the final part of this presentation: issues, challenges and prospects of democratising in Nigeria. This tension is anchored on the fact that leaders are imposed. In Nigeria, the current population as estimated by Human Development report for instance has over 196 million people. Another problem of Nigeria's democracy is the mentality that electoral positions can be used as private properties or entitlements. Social injustice has become an issue in Nigerian democracy. In modern democracies, supreme authority is . Most of the people in Nigeria did not use the opportunity to vote in the 2011 election to vote for a leader they want and some of the parties in the elections had no ideologies which hinder democracy to be consolidated. Nigeria's population growth rate hovers around 2.6%. The implementation of an epistocratic system of governance within the Nigerian context must be incremental, bearing in mind that Nigeria's democracy is still evolving. There's an assumption that despite multiple deprivations, Nigerians can 'take solace in the knowledge' that they have democracy, writes Moses Ochonu. Nigeria has a strong Electoral Act. Nigeria comprises of 36 different states with Abuja being the federal . There are many other factors that contribute to the terrorist movement in Nigeria, some of which are the injustices, poverty, class inequality, the failure of social services and more. Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Leadership succession is the problem facing Nigeria since 1960. Nonetheless, Nigeria was increasing its oil exports and experiencing economic growth. Related to the political impediments toward the survival of democracy in Nigeria is the economic angle, whereinthe practice ofdemocracy since 1999 has been characterized by severe economic and social problems. The political leadership was expected to grapple with the socio-economic and political problems of the country, which border on poverty, corruption, lack of good governance, corrupt electoral system, unemployment, and insecurity, among others. Several lives have been lost in the process. Development and its usage in contemporary social science disciplines is not Second, it invests in the comfort of officials rather than in human and material resources. The framework of analysis adopted is Group Theory. Nigerian democracy has three outstanding features. The modern-day Nigerian democracy has been described as 'stomach democracy'. South Africa Under Apartheid Answer (1 of 524): In 2002, a paper, Classical and Liberal Democracy: Singapore and Jamaica, was published by H. Werlin. The corruption, selfishness, repression etc are all sponsored and enabled by political parties and the alliances formed amongst members. Lack of interaction between government and private sector. Nigeria's military is ironically the cause of, and the solution to, many of the country's security problems. Respect for human rights enriches democracy and makes It is also the world's eighth largest producer of crude oil and has been the United States' second largest supplier for six . a range of challenges has been identified as the incipient obstacles to the democratic vision of nigeria, from the ubiquitous phenomenon of corruption to 'godfatherism', poverty to selfish interests of leaders or the inefficiency of leaders, etc. Amid deepening distrust in government and institutions, Nigeria has significant work to do in improving national, state and local security and governance . This paper asserts that Nigerian democracy has three outstanding features. failed to achieve democracy. In Idike (2013), conceptual issues in democracy have also been highlighted as follows: democracy is a political system in which the people in a country rule through any form of government they choose to establish. These included war, violence, corruption, poverty, and hunger. ), Culture and Democracy (Zaria: Ahmadu Bello University Press, 1997), pp. The Real Problem With Nigeria's Democracy. Problems of Democracy in Nigeria: 1. Sabo Bako, "Problems of Democracy in Nigeria: Cultural Imperatives and Impediments" in Yakubu Nasidi and Iyortange Igoli (eds. Nigeria shares borders with the Republic of Niger to the North, the Republics of Cameroon and Chad to the east and the Republic of Benin to the west. Many people believe that Nigeria cannot survive without corruption. With the label of democracy getting detached from the content of the concept, even the 'home-grown' non-democratic regimes in Africa have appropriated the term. Corruption takes many forms and infiltrates all political institutions and economic sectors. In Nigeria, democracy has not yielded the expected results due to the character of the political elites who has a limited understanding of what governance requires (Agulanna, 2006). Shanum (2013) maintains that "the progress of any nation rests on the stature or standard of its leadership and how they can bring this to bear on the welfare of . Ansaru is an Islamist terrorist organisation based in northern Nigeria, and is proscribed by the UK. 80% of the Nigerian population is poor and uneducated. DEMOCRACY AND PROBLEMS OF FISCAL FEDERALISM IN NIGERIA (1999-2009) This study is on democracy and problems of fiscal federalism in Nigeria. Other variables indicate that adult Literacy is 44% and the percentage of people living in poverty is 49% as against 43% in 1985. But the kind of democracy practised by Abuja has delivered neither improved standards of living nor abstract benefits such as press freedom or human rights . David, O. S. (2005) Good Governance in Nigeria New Age publication 3 rd April. Problems and Prospects of Sustaining Democracy in Nigeria This edition was published in June 2001 by Nova Science Publishers. In Nigeria, democratic practice and its consequent protection of human rights are not what they ought to be. The challenges are voter apathy, Elite-Manipulated Democracy, gender Issues and Parties without Ideologies. 2 Statement of the Problem Democracy has won for itself a household name across the globe. The challenges that poverty and illiteracy pose to Nigeria democracy cannot be over-emphasized. Ted Henderson, the founder, hooked a radio antenna up to a computer in a friend's apartment close enough to the Capitol to get the signals, and translated it into data and a push alert for his . . But Nigeria will only have effective governance when the right people are saddled with the responsibility to govern. Development and its usage in contemporary social science disciplines is not The flagrant violation of human rights in democratic Nigeria by so many governmental agencies casts doubt on the facticity of real democratic practice in Nigeria. Accountability lies at the heart of a democratic government. The list was already impressive. To the civil society it ought to be a vocation of service through which political leadership of the country is recruited and . Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Institute of Peace and Conflicts Resolution (IPCR) and many other international affairs analysts have proffered solutions to democratic issues .