Ghana and nigeria are in the midst of governmentinitiated democratization programs. Procedural democracy emerged from two historical traditions of republicanism and liberalism. By 1990 at least two thirdwave democracies, sudan and nigeria, had. It is copied by her greek allies and colonies at the time, but it has rarely been attempted anywhere else since switzerland in the th century is one example. Problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria infoguideng. Nigeria has a long history, with its roots in early civilisations of distinguished artistry. Because of nigeria s history of military rule and because of the strong elite unanimity in opposing nonrepresentative political templates, this model would only heighten our crisis of governance and stifle development. Democracy day in nigeria is being celebrated on the 12th of june this year. A study of some selected local government areas in ondo state, nigeria.
The implication of nigerian democracy history essay. Democracy day is june 12, a national public bank holiday in nigeria. Since the restoration of democracy in nigeria, there has been consistent and gradual change in the political arena. Some of the history of these countries, however, is naturally mentioned in this history of the rest of africa but is kept to the minimum needed to make the rest comprehensible. Aside fighting to win democracy, the nigerian press has been at the forefront of sustaining nigeria s nascent democracy. Electoral violence and the survival of democracy in nigeria. This paper is a contribution to the debate on democratization and development in nigeria. The education in this area implies the action of giving systematic studying to enlighten the professionals. Department of political science, university of ilorin, ilorin. Herskovits 1979, nigeria rejected britains parliamentary form of democracy which they had continued after independence in 1960 and chose the first wholly nigerianmade constitution, to follow the american model instead. In fact, recent manifestations of electoral violence, most importantly since the birth of the fourth republic in 1999 have assumed an unprecedented magnitude and changing form, resulting in instability in democratic consolidation as well as the loss and displacement of many innocent lives. Jun 07, 20 a documentary on history of democracy in nigeria. Constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date.
Nigeria is unarguably one of the most influential countries in africa. The civil war then broke out in 1967 and lasted all through 1970. The third wave of democracy meant a global diffusion of democratic norms and ideas in hitherto authoritarian states. After nigeria gained independence in the year 1960, the country experienced its first military coup in the year 1966. History of democracy in nigeria and when did nigeria.
Conceptual discourse democracy, either as a concept or a system of rule, has become excessively ambiguous in contemporary political analysis. Although the years since nigeria s 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. Abraham lincoln, democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Brief history of democracy in nigeria after nigeria gained independence in 1960, the country was ranked as the citizens of the 4th biggest democratic country the world over. Meaning of democracy democracy may be defined as a system of government in which the exercise of political power and authority is vested in the people through their elected representatives. The nascent democracy in nigeria is plagued with myriad of intrigues.
Criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 2. It is a short book on ancient greek history,politics, culture. History of the nigerian petroleum industry oil was discovered in nigeria in 1956 at oloibiri in the niger delta after half a century of exploration. There are some tenets which are considered to be essential in a. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. 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. It identified the problems that have militated against nigerias democratic sustainability in the past to include lack of proper democratic institutions. This may be responsible for what rawls 1971 describes as the origin of the current. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. And that nigerians, dispossessed they may be, will be satisfied with a political concept that, as currently practiced in nigeria, stands empty of its substantive content. Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous.
Democracy is a form of government in which the people exercise the authority of government. It offers the directions that are necessary for the future accountants to get the profession in nigeria. The analysis of the above upheaval will reveal that our democracy is under siege prompting dauda and avidime 2007 to argue that the current security situation in the country is a major obstacle to the consolidation of democracy. Department of history and international studies, ekiti state university. Nigeria is a famous country with more than one hundred and forty million population. The mass media and the struggle for democracy in africa. Suleiman nasiru may 30, 2014 certainly the present situation in nigeria was not what our founding fathers dreamt of. University of nigeria virtual library serial no isbn. History of nigerian newspaper a brief walk into the origin. In february 2019, nigeria went to the polls to elect its president, vice president, house of representatives and the senate facing an exponentially growing volume of news and online information about the election and various campaigns, particularly of president muhammadu buhari and his challenger, atiku abubakar. 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. Pdf the impact of military rule on democracy in nigeria.
Within nigeria, slavery was widespread and bore social implications that are still evident. For nigeria democracy to move toward democratic consolidation and good governance in fourth republic, we urge. History of military rule in nigeria school mattazz. Analysing the democracy and democratic practise in nigeria. 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. The full history of accounting in nigeria is saturated and rich. The state of democracy in nigeria the guardian nigeria news.
The discovery was made by shellbp, at the time the sole concessionaire. Library of congress federal research division country profile. Abraham lincoln in his immortal gettysburg address may have defined democracy as government of the people, by the people and for the people, but anybody with eyes on either side of the nose of course knows that the late great president of the united states did not have the nigerian brand of democracy in mind when he formulated that definition. The society could be as small as a family clan and as large as a superpower nation. The term is usually defined as a system in which all individuals belonging to a certain society have an equal share in political power. A brief history of liberia international center for. Democracy in nigeria problems and prospects information. Foreign policy, 19451973, and currently at work on a political history of contemporary nigeria. Before venturing fully into the history of democracy in nigeria, we need to know what a government is and who the government is.
All evidence suggests the early settlement of nigeria millennia before the spread. Department of political science, federal university dutse, jigawa state. The elections, which welcomed back democracy to nigeria has succeeded in birthing another two separate terms totally eight years of uninterrupted democracy with former military ruler, general. The records of its existence date as far back as the 6 th century b. Prior to talking about the challenges facing democracy in nigeria and solutions to them, let us take a quick look into the postcolonial democratic history of nigeria. The paper concludes that for democracy to achieve its goals there is the need for the government. Jean herskovits is professor of history at the state university of new york at purchase and spent 18 months of the transition in nigeria. It is also the worlds eighth largest producer of crude oil and has been the united states second largest supplier for six. On october 1 nigeria added to its list of vital statistics a new status as the worlds fourth largest democracy. Democracy, federalism and the nigerian lie the guardian.
It was possible to restore the democratic model for a couple of years in 1978. However, how democracy has driven the much needed development. Inasmuch as the primary expectation of electorates is to reap the bene. The plateau area around jos was a meeting point for cultural influences from the upper niger valley where agriculture developed independently as early as 5000 bce and from egypt. The political, economic and social dynamics of nigeria.
So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. Abstract this paper examined the extent to which the citizens are involved in political activities. We have essentially in the study, identified some of the features of the progress made in democratic consolidation in nigeria within the period of focus 1999 2015. This is a short history of africa excluding egypt, ethiopia and dutch and british south africa, which are the subjects of separate histories. This was partly demonstrated in the early life of the administration in its demonstrable respect for the rule of law and. We reiterate that democracy and development cohabit and inactivity of the former destroys the later. Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between and hausa states around during the 11th century, while christianity came to nigeria in the 15th century through augustinian and capuchin monks from portugal. Thomas chukwuma ijere democracy and development in nigeria. 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. Taylors vice president, moses blah, finished the remaining term and was followed by a transition. In simple terms, the objective of the paper is to identify and discuss the challenges to democracy and good governance in the country and proffer suggestions for a better democratic nigeria. Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. Even though nigeria acquired republican status in 1963, the first republic in nigeria began on the 1 st of october, 1960 and came to an end on the 15 th of january, 1966. 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.
We have examined the nature of the attendant challenges and made some far. Pdf the paper seeks to explain the rationale of the militarize dispositions of politicians in the current democracy. The society could be as small as a family clan and as large as a superpower. Development history bears credence to the maxim that any democratic state cannot conduct free and fair elections unless if security officers, media practitioners and civil society organizations adequately perform their roles. This is the first time the day has been marked on this date. Democracy, which derives from the greek word demos, or people, is defined, basically, as government in which. While nigerias comprehensive approach to democratic planning has enabled elite continuity. It was then possible to restore the democratic model for a. Nigeria, july 2008 2 of slaves flowed north across the sahara for a millennium, ending only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Home columns sunday perspectives criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 1 criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 1. It was then possible to restore the democratic model for a couple of years in 1978. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria. A brief history of liberia peter dennis the international center for transitional justice may 2006. Usaid has a long and proud history of assistance to nigeria that dates back to 1960, the year that nigeria became the 26th african nation to gain independence.
The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. Hundreds were killed in demonstrations, human rights and pro democracy activists were arrested, and opposition newspapers were shut down. The history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers living in the area as early as 1100 bc. Archived from the original pdf on 18 february 2018. Problems and prospects of the evoting option idike, adeline nnenna, a department of public administration and local government university of nigeria, nsukka email. The impact of military rule on democracy in nigeria. May 31, 2015 the analysis of the above upheaval will reveal that our democracy is under siege prompting dauda and avidime 2007 to argue that the current security situation in the country is a major obstacle to the consolidation of democracy. Democracy provides the opportunities for the people to freely exercise their voting. For most of its independent history, nigeria was ruled by a series of military juntas. See the problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria. Challenges facing democracy in nigeria and solutions. Babangida again claimed fraud, and annulled the results of the second election, which was believed to be the first fair election held in the history of nigeria. Nigeria s present democratization, which culminated in the countrys fourth republic on may 29, 1999, started amidst great hope and expectations. Section five is on general discussion about the elections, while section six direct on the implications of nigeria 2015 general for african states democracy and the research practice in particular.
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. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. Criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 1. Home columns sunday perspectives criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 2 criticism and the growth of democracy in nigeria 2. Nigeria joined the ranks of oil producers in 1958 when its first oil field came on stream producing 5,100 bpd. Introduction may 29, 1999 marked a watershed in nigeria s political annals. In the 5th century bc athens pioneers an experiment in direct democracy, as opposed to the representative democracy of modern societies. Until june 6, 2018, it was held annually on may 29. The first military coup in nigeria took place on january 15, 1966. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria 1. Between 1966 and 1999, the army held power in nigeria without interruption apart from a shortlived return to democracy from 19791983. Since nigerias 1999 transition from military to civilian rule, ndi has worked closely with nigerian groups to support the development of the countrys democratic institutions. 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.
Author 2 author 3 title the legislature and democracy in nigeria keywords description the legislature and democracy in nigeria category social science education publisher library cataloguing in publication data publication date. They assume erroneously that democracy is its own justification that simply being baptised with the moniker of democracy is sufficient. Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between and hausa states around during the 11th century, while christianity came to nigeria in the 15th century. In essence, it has become almost fashionable in nigeria for an incumbent administration to introduce one change or another in the institution. She is the author of a preface to modern nigeria, editor of the subsaharan africa volume in dynamics of world power. Since 1999 when civil politics was restored to nigeria, discourse on the appropriate electoral system for the country has been put firmly on the national democratic agenda. An exploration into nigeria s political economy in the 21st century. There are roadblocks to a strong democracy in nigeria at all levels of government. They have argued that democracy is yet to be fully entrenched in the hearts and minds of politicians and average citizens alike. Apr 20, 2018 the british high commissioner to nigeria paul arkwright says great steps have been taken towards genuine democracy in nigeria since the return of civilian rule in 1999. 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. Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to. Democracy, good governance, corruption, human rights, electoral reform.
Yet the power of the democratic idea has prevailed through a long and turbulent history, and democratic government, despite continuing challenges, continues to evolve and flourish throughout the world. In this lesson, learn about the history of the young country of nigeria, which gained independence from britain in 1960. In africa and nigeria in particular, the last one and half decade have been most commendable as we have witnessed the consolidation of democracy. Journal of nigeria studies volume 1, number 2, fall 2012 political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Aside the print media, the television stations have also played their part in the fight against corruption and in the defense of democracy. The coup was led by major chukwuma nzeogwu and other majors in the army. Conflicttriggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalriesposes a major threat to democracy.
Watch through police body cameras how police caught chris watts, family killer, with body language duration. 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. The new civil war broke in 1967 and lasted til 1970. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative means of data collection.
Apr 23, 2018 democracy, ideally defined as a government of the people, by the people and for the people, has been redefined by the ways of its practitioners in nigeria. This paper compares the different settings, reasons, strategies, procedures, and implementation of democratization efforts in these two countries. History of democracy in nigeria what a government is. Whereas republicanism emphasizes active role for the citizen in. It was the dawn of the fourth republic, a return to. Nigerias present democratization, which culminated in the countrys fourth republic on may 29, 1999, started amidst great hope and expectations. The 1999 elections in nigeria whether free and fair would go a long way in the history of democracy in nigeria.
We can say government is a system that exercises sovereign authority over a society. Since then, the nature of the democratic project has been the subject of debate in various circles. The historical trajectory of electoral process in the post colonial nigerian is characterised by violence. Democracy and electoral process in nigeria politics essay. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of.
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