The challenges of democratic governance in nigeria lanre oluadeyemi, b. After fifteen years of persistent dictatorship, the return of democracy was received with pump and peagentry by civil societies, labour union, civil rights organization etc. Strengthening womens political participation and leadership for effective democratic governance in pakistan final evaluation report march 2016 mohsin nazir surani. English on the topics of elections and governance in nigeria and are grouped in two sections. Political parties are capable of deepening good governance in nigeria, just like in. The role of political partiess in democratic governance. Democracy, political participation and good governance in. The party, which earned the respect and admiration of most nigerians, in the period between 19992007 due to. There are roadblocks to a strong democracy in nigeria at all levels of government. Regional organizations are vocal regarding the shared challenges they face in this field. The practice of democracy in nigeria over a decade ago has not yielded much needed good governance.
Norad was requested to undertake the study by the norwegian embassy in nigeria. To establish the areas where dgd interventions can be effective in strengthening party democracy, the dgd commissioned this assessment of the. Since the return of multi party democratic governance in 1999, nigeria has continued to grapple with the problem of national unity, such that she can be described as nation with tripod stand, made up of three blocks, the north, the west and the east. Political parties as instrument of deepening good governance in. Contemporary perspectives from subsaharan africa published by. The study makes recommendations for norways strategic approach to governance in nigeria based on a political economy analysis. This could be attributed to flawed and wobbly foundations of these parties since 1960 which according to omotola 2009 have been largely responsible. To finer details, this study investigates the state and role of democracy and political governance in africa and more so in kenya on three major fronts namely. Constitutionalism and democratic governance in africa. Aduku and yakubu, adejo umoru centre for inter african and human development studies cides, jos, nigeria school of general studies, federal polytechnic, kaura namoda, zamfara state, nigeria. Pdf assessing democratic governance in the nigerian. Pdf in democratization of any nation political parties play a very critical. The emergence of democratic governance in nigerian political system in 1999 was a landmark in the political development of nigeria. Pretoria university law press pulp the pretoria university law press pulp is a publisher at the faculty of law, university of pretoria, south africa.
The role of pdp in nigeria as ruling party, the economic policy role of the pdp, the pdp government and anti corruption policies, national securityprotection of lives and properties, fundamental human rights and constitutionality of government. Abstract emerging trends point to good governance as a panacea towards accelerated development in economic, political and social sectors of nations. International journal of politics and good governance volume 4, no. Selection criteria for political parties were open and all mainstream political parties were selected. The paper concludes that for nigeria to experience sustainable socioeconomic. Scholars and keen observers have attempted at unraveling the factors militating against translating democracy into good governance. This study, democracy and good governance in nigeria. The democratic governance for development project dgd, under the management of undp, seeks to strengthen the capacity of political parties to deepen democracy in nigeria. Democracy in nigeria is alien and its practice has proved difficult. The emergence of democratic governance in nigerian political system in 1999 was a land mark in the political development of nigeria. Nigeria is a federal republic, with executive power exercised by the. All have a dedicated body, in the form of a committee, commission or directorate, responsible for mainstreaming and spearheading efforts on gender equality and womens political empowerment. Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused at a time when dictators, singleparty regimes, and military coup leaders alike assert popular support by claiming the mantle of democracy. Political parties give life to democracy and are insulators to it as well abdullateef, 2016.
It is enthusiastically recommended for those who wish to know more about contemporary nigerian history. Democratic governance and political participation in nigeria. The constitution and actual written laws must be obeyed and upheld, while due process must be followed. Challenges and prospects is a descriptive analysis that has relied on the use of secondary data as its source of information.
Conflicttriggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalriesposes a major threat to democracy. As such, states nigeria inclusive, wishing to realize, promote or maintain economic, political and social strides, should strive to. The federal government of nigeria is composed of three distinct branches. The party system in nigeria is still weak and vulnerable with no visible signs of. Democracy and governance in africa democratization in. The role of political parties in democratic governance in. When citizens join political parties, volunteer their time, donate money and vote for their leaders, they are exercising their basic democratic rights. The paper assesses democratic governance in the nigerian fourth republic. Pdf gender relations in nigerias democratic governance.
Because direct democracy a form of government in which political decisions are made directly by the entire body of qualified citizensis impractical in most modern societies, democratic government must be conducted through representatives. Therefore, the quest for good leadership is a sinequanon for governance and sustainable development. The political culture in nigeria is characterized by intolerance, intimidation, thuggery, assassination, bitterness, apathy, indolence, money and ethnic politics. Parties play very crucial role in political, economical and cultural development of the country. Elections make a fundamental contribution to democratic governance.
Democratic governance and political participation in nigeria 19992014 is a detailed, exhaustive, deep, stimulating and captivating narrative of the nigerian situation. Things should be done in an orderly, predictable manner, and for sustainability of democracy, political parties, particularly the ruling party must have respect for democratic governance and democratic institutions. The erosion of good governance by the practice of democracy has deepened the crisis of democracy. This is because democracy is practiced in such a way that responsible and competent people are scared away. After fifteen years of persistent dictatorship, the return of democracy was received with pomp and pageantry by civil societies, labour union, civil rights organization etc. 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. This work based on direct study and use of secondary data examines the role of the pdp in governance in the period 19992007. The imperative of popular participation to democratic governance has engendered intense academic discourse on the political alienation of women across the globe including nigeria. As a political party, it metamorphosed from a group called g34 led by former nigeria s vice president dr. This article mainly focuses on role, functions and performance of political parties in democracies and in the process of contemporary democratization. By competing in elections parties offer citizens a choice in governance, and while in opposition they can hold governments accountable. Political parties are essential institutions of democracy.
Based on recent research study carried out, it has been realized that. There is a profound paradox about the peoples democratic party pdp in nigeria. A governance approach highlights issues of state responsiveness and accountability, and the impact of these factors on political stability and economic development. Political parties and democratic consolidation in nigeria s fourth republic akubo, a. Democracy, intraparty struggle and good governance in nigeria.
Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to. Thus, while omotola 2009 is of the opinion that this faulty origin of political parties is responsible for parties ideological barrenness. Still, there was agreement in the meetings that african governments are deeply in need of governance reforms. Wogu1 corresponding author,muyiwa adeniyi sholarin2, fadeke e. Falade and orungbemi 2010 argued that true democratic governance is absent in nigeria and many parts of africa. The party, which earned the respect and admiration of most nigerians, in the period between 19992007 due to its politics and policies. This work based on direct study and use of secondary data examines the role of the pdp in governance. Democracy alongside political parties with vibrant ideologies and.
The effects and way forward alabi abdullahi department of social sciences and global studies political science unit, kwara state university, malete, ilorin, nigeria sakariyau, rauf tunde. Political parties, democratic consolidation, fourth republic, democracy. The paper revealed that democratisation in nigeria is. Most nigerians expected the return to democratic governance on may, 29 1999 to set the stage for the socioeconomic and. Role of political parties in democratic governance in nigeria. The paper discusses some of the impediments to the institutionalisation of democracy in nigeria after more. Abstract there is a profound paradox about the peoples democratic party pdp in nigeria. Sc degree programme in public administration school of management sciences smsnational open university of nigeria noun.
In the namibia meeting, one participant was of the opinion that the argument that all of africa has practiced bad governance is not an accurate statement. The peoples democratic party pdp has been nigerian ruling party over the last sixteen years may 29, 199929 may 2015. The primary purpose of any political party is to take control of state power. 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. Role and functions of political parties in democracy is unconstrained.
The role of political parties in democratic governance in nigeria. Hope was very high in the area of human right which was completely absent during the dictatorship rule. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Chapter four of role of political parties in democratic governance in nigeria contains. Democracy and political participation are related to good governance are interrelated and complementary but appear to be antithetical in nigeria. Regional organizations, gender equality and the political.
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