CIVIL SOCIETY AND ITâ€™S IMPACT ON DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA FROM 2003-2013

Code No: 756840

₦5,000.00

ABSTRACT

This research work examines the role of Civil Society organizations in promoting democratic governance in Nigeria from 2003-2013. Over the years, Nigeria has been battling with political, religious, economic, social, educational and electoral problems. Also there have been the problems of ineffective governance, corruption, poor service delivery just to mention but a few. The researcher believes that such societal ills as corruption, mismanagement of public funds, electricity failures and extra judicial killings among others can be abated with formidable civil society organizations in the country, Also, a virile civil society organization will promote good governance. The researcher being aware of numerous civil society organizations in Nigeria, wonders why all the ills and therefore decides to carry out this research work with the aim of finding out the role(s) the civil society organizations have been playing in Nigeria towards promoting good governance. Two methods of data collection was employed i.e. the primary and secondary. In the case of primary data, the researcher administered questionnaires to some civil society organizations and also had oral interviews. Secondary data were also used, The researcher extracted relevant information to our work from journals, seminar papers, textbooks, magazines and newspapers. The secondary data formed the major sources of data collection of this work. It was found out that the civil society in Nigeria right from the colonial days have fought governments that were not representing the interest of the people well. The civil societies in Nigeria during the colonial era struggle for the end of colonialism. In the military authoritarian regimes of Babangida and Abacha, civil societies fought for the citizens. The activities of the civil societies led to the setting up of committee for electoral reforms in this present democratic government. Also, freedom for information Act came to be as a result of the activities of the civil societies. Despite some of the achievements made, civil society organizations in Nigeria are saddled with a lot of problems one of such problems is funding. Many of the organizations have no fund to run their affairs and as a result, some have folded up. The civil societies do not seem to see themselves as fighting towards a common goal. They seem to be divided.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
It is the desire of every citizen of a state, whether developed or developing to have organizations that will make government rule them in accordance with principle of democracy. The absence of such organizations often results to situation where the leaders rule the people with their own whims and caprices. Civil society and democracy have both contributed to the betterment of Nigeria due to the fact that the civic rights of citizens are not trampled upon and the wants and needs of the people are looked at and used for the governance of the people.
Omodia and Erunke (2007) thought along these lines when they observed that civil societies emerge because of the dire or strong need to institutionalize the culture of good governance within the regime of democratic government. The two scholars (Omodia and Erunke) see civil society as reinforcing mechanism for effective governance in the overall interest of the majority of the people. They believed that civil society become fully manifested when it is allowed to blossom bearing in mind its relative autonomy from both state apparatuses and machinations of selfish end of governmental survival.
Nigeria as a country has been grappling with the issue of consolidation of democracy since her independence in 1960. Ethnic and religious conflicts have been threatening the survival of democracy in Nigeria and indeed its survival as a single entity. The cause(s) of ethnic and religious conflicts can be traced back to maladministration, corruption, poverty, unemployment and the unfair administration of national resources by our political leaders. The above issues threatened the corporate existence of the Nigerian nation in the 1960's and it resulted to the emergence of the military in politics. Now that the country has returned to civil rule, our political leaders have answers to this problem. The way the Nigerian government handles the issues of ethnic, political and religious problems will determine whether democracy will survive or not.