Abstract this paper examined the extent to which the citizens are involved in political activities. 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. Everyone expected the return of nigeria to democratic rule will bring about development. With the introduction of democracy, the public became more educated in political, economic, and social matters. Democracy, good govemance, development, nigerian state, human rights. It is government of a community in which all citizens, rather than favored individuals or groups, have the right and opportunity to participate. Thomas chukwuma ijere democracy and development in nigeria. Democracy and the performance of the nigerian economy aminu umaru lecturer. Besides, find out why not all democratic states are happy. In nigeria for instance, our constitution provides for democracy, but it is apparent that some of the pillars of democracy are not present in our government system. 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. This is a particularly important moment in africas history.
What are the merits and demerits of the 1999 constitution. Freedom of information and democracy are interrelated. Below are the demerits disadvantages of military rule in nigeria it had been ascertained that there were few advantages attributed to military rule in nigeria. The reason for this is that common man is neither wise nor intelligent nor rational but democracy believes in these things. What are the advantages and disadvantages of democracy. Military rule in nigeria comes with a lot of disadvantage that. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Download fulltext pdf download fulltext pdf the impact of military rule on democracy in nigeria article pdf available december 2012 with 51,253 reads. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999. The paper highlights the principles of islam and that of democracy and argues that both are incompatible in a multireligious country like nigeria.
The military history of nigeria since the colonial rule began precisely on the 1 st october 1966. Pdf the minimalist conception articulated in the advanced. What are the advantages and disadvantages of capitalist. By doing so, the king acknowledged he was bound by law, like others, and granted his subjects legal rights. Labour congress nlc, to debate and discuss the pros and cons of. History of democracy in nigeria and when did nigeria. The national democratic institute ndi is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that.
Therefore, this paper examines democratic consolidation and challenges of legislative politics in nigeria from 19992011. Forget all those talks of it been the most disciplined and they provided the infrastructures we enjoy today. Apr 19, 2020 in nigeria for instance, our constitution provides for democracy, but it is apparent that some of the pillars of democracy are not present in our government system. 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. While evidence of this relationships existence is irrefutable, economists and historians opinions of its exact nature have been sharply split, hence the latter has been the subject of many debates and studies. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in.
Challenges of democracy and good governance in nigeria democracy has emerged as the best accepted form of government in the contemporary world. Democracy in nigeria problems and prospects information. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative means of data collection. Demos means crowd and kratia or cratos means power. Fortyone of the on july 19, 2011, the international peace institute ipi hosted a roundtable discussion on elections i nafrc a.
However, in the nigerian context, the demerit of democracy outweighs. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. We reiterate that democracy and development cohabit and inactivity of the former destroys the later. A true democracy is a sine qua non for the development of all sectors of any countrys economy. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. The basic purpose of this study is to xray the relationship between good governance and democracy and to identify those factors that militate against good. Nevertheless, the democracy story in nigeria can be traced to the year 1960. 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. Democracy is most important for most people worldwide. One example is, the united states of america is the oldest democracy in the world. Democracy and the performance of the nigerian economy.
For ikhide, democracy has, far from doing nigeria good, set the country back decades and provided a perfect alibi for the political class to. Accordingly, democracy in nigeria cannot be consolidated amidst high level. We must ensure that enough checks and balances exist in this system to protect everyone instead of an elite class that can control everything. Military rule in nigeria first started on january 15, 1966, when a group or army officers overthrew the npcnndp government and killed many of the countrys political rulers. Democracy is a system of processing conflicts in which outcomes depend on what participants do, but no single force controls what occurs and its outcomes. Jan 26, 2020 merits and demerits of 1999 constitution merits the heads of the executive at all levels are popularly elected local government chairmen, state governors and the president. In it, every citizen is allowed to take part, whereas everybody is. Merits and demerits of dictatorship essay 706 words cram.
Olu awofeso, phd department of political science,obafemi awolowo university, ileife, nigeria abstract. In 1215, english nobles pressured king john of england to sign a document known as the magna carta, a key step on the road to constitutional democracy. Problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria infoguideng. Dec 16, 2019 democracy is a type of political system that requires a popular vote representative election to take place to elect the leader of the country and other officials. Thus, advantages and disadvantages of the hybrid system can be derived from the two. Demerits of democracy more emphasis on quantity than on quality. Democracy is government of, by, and for the people. Who people are and how authority is shared among them are core issues for democratic theory, development and constitution. The whole thing started from the year1999, when olusegun obasanjo was sworn in as the first democratically elected president of nigeria. That is why nigeria cannot be called a true democratic state for now. The paper adopted content analysis approach to source its data and concluded that democracy is an ingredient of development. It is recognized as the most appropriate mechanism through which any society should be governed. May 29 th of every year is declared democracy day in nigeria, and it also a public holiday.
These topic pages provide a quick overview and easy access to all content that can be found on ace for any give topic of interest weather encyclopaedia files, electoral materials, comparative data, consolidated replies, case studies, or other. Many of the most successful countries in the world, including the us, operate under a democratic form of government. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p. Pdf on aug 17, 2014, oladayo awojobi and others published 15 years of. Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the. They were voicing their disillusionment with a failed democracy. By democracy i presume youre referring to the western democratic system, rather than russia, turkey or iran all of which are democracies, or contain powerful democratic elements. This paper investigates the impact of democratic dispensation on the performance of the nigerian economy between 1983 and 2012.
Demerits of constitutional democracy the key concepts of constitutional democracy. Democracy is considered to be the best form of government these days. Members of the government try to participate in social activities, to be closer to people and to win their sympathy. Merits and demerits of 1999 constitution merits the heads of the executive at all levels are popularly elected local government chairmen, state governors and the president. Following arguments have been given against democracy. Democracy and the challenge of change national democratic. Advantages and disadvantages of multiparty, expert and. Merits and demerits of democracy with reference to rule of law. Merits and demerits of democracy merits of democracy. What are the merits and demerits of the 1999 constitution in. Pdf the impact of military rule on democracy in nigeria. Yet capitalism, used in singular form, conceals the differences in the varieties of capitalism hall and soskice 2001.
The paper divide the period into two military and democracy i. The study identifies that democracy in nigeria has actually. A study of some selected local government areas in ondo state, nigeria. The constitution effectively puts in place separation of powers and.
Then economic condition of the people of the colonies became precarious when rawmaterials were taken away from their countries to the mother country. Advantages of democracy democracy is considered to be the best form of government these days. Conflicttriggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalriesposes a major threat to democracy. This is because of the use of the advantages and disadvantages of democracy by those parties in power. The paper concludes that for democracy to achieve its goals there is the need for the government. Disadvantages of military rule in nigeria nigerian infopedia. It is also the worlds eighth largest producer of crude oil and has been the united states second largest supplier for six. 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. It is debatable whether the minimum content is really applicable to a democratic nigeria. The following arguments have been given in favour of democracy. Get an answer for what are the advantages and disadvantages of capitalist democracy. This is why the critics of democracy have described it as mobocracy. Theoretical perspectives the standard modernisation hypothesis or argument in the literature that economic development leads to and is a necessary precondition for democracy is contested and hardly acceptable universally.
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. As observed by nwanolue and ojukwu 2012, the general success of any practicing democracy is deeply incumbent upon three major. Most of the countries in the world have adopted it. Democracy is a type of political system that requires a popular vote representative election to take place to elect the leader of the country and other officials. The uncertainty of outcomes is inherent in democracy. Democracy in nigeria has three phases 19601966 first republic, 19791983 second republic and 1999 to date i. Merits and demerits of democracy with reference to rule of. Advocates of quotas argue that the barriers to womens political participation are so significant and so. Equally of note is the strong belief that the major elements of democracy rule of law, political liberty and political sovereignty supremacy of the constitution, stand antithetical to certain islamic injunctions as specified in the quran and hadith.
Rule of the incompetent democracies are run amateurs. The english word democracy is derived from two greek words demos and kratia or cratos. It stressed market mechanisms, the principle of capitalist selfregulation and the limits of state regulation harvey 2007. Learn why democracy is not a perfect form of government and why so many countries still chose it. Democracy makes all forces struggle repeatedly to realize their interests and devolves power from groups of people to sets of rules. 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. But we are at a crossroads, and if we continue with this charade, a nigerlike scenario of.
As observed by nwanolue and ojukwu 2012, the general success of any practicing democracy is deeply. Chief merit of democracy lies in that it safeguards the interests of the people. Establishment of full regional selfgovernment for the east and west in 1957 and for the north in 1959. Methodologically, data for this paper were generated mainly from secondary sources of recorded human documents. Rise and consolidation of garison democracy in nigeria, 1999 2007, abu political scientist, 11. From 23 may to 26 june 1957, there was a constitutional conference in london arranged mainly to correct the deficiencies of lyttleton constitution of 1954 and which took the following decisions. This is because a democratic society portrays freedom for the people where government policies are brought in the open for the people to make. But there was certainly no debate about its doomed fate in the years of military dictatorship. Features of the independence constitution of 1960 nigerian. There are roadblocks to a strong democracy in nigeria at all levels of government. Democracy and economic growth and development have had a strong correlative and interactive relationship throughout history. But we are at a crossroads, and if we continue with this charade, a nigerlike scenario of democratic disillusionment may be in the horizon. Besides politics is something highly technical and complex. Democracy in nigeria has been a mere political desideratum hanging on a limping utopia adewusi, 2011.
Pdf democratisation process and governance crisis in. Nigerias democratic setbacks may not yet entitle us to reject democracy altogether or to be receptive to military rule. 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. Schumpeter cited in ukase 2014 sees democracy as a method by which decisionmaking is transferred to individuals who have gained power in a. In this dimension, whoever that finds his or her name in the register of any of the numerous political groupings that pretend to be political parties in nigeria, would. At present, the situation has improved but the drawbacks and ineptitude of the. Government aims and objectives this syllabus aims at assessing the candidates ability to a define the concepts of government and show their understanding of its principles, institutions and processes. While some democratic countries are well developed, there are many which are still in developing the state.
The paper discusses some of the impediments to the institutionalisation of democracy in nigeria after more. Problems and prospects of the evoting option idike, adeline nnenna, a department of public administration and local government university of nigeria, nsukka email. Democracy and the future of the nigerian state daniel eseme. Since the late 1970s, neoliberal critique has gained traction, sometimes in sharp contrast to keynesian welfare state capitalism. The following are the demerits or disadvantages of democracy. Democracy democracy is considered to be the best form of government these days. See the problems and prospects of democracy in nigeria. Inefficient and corrupt persons get themselves elected.
It must therefore be sustained to evolve and ensure sustainable development. Since colonial incursion and the attainment of political independence, nigeria like other erstwhile colonial possessions have inculcated the westminsterstyled political system at independence influenced tremulously by an elite class that projects the political culture which could make or mar democracy as a result of the political. The country was at its infantile stage and was still trying to adapt to. Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to.
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