Governance and the Burden of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria Since 1999

Governance has been one of Africa's most significant challenges. Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, appears to lack the capacity to deliver services effectively and has struggled with effective governance despite its immense wealth. Despite democracy being acknowledged as the universal goal of government, a moral imperative, a social process, and an acceptable political practice applicable to all human civilizations, operational democracy has remained elusive and a burden on the African continent. Relying on secondary data and the Marxian theory of the post-colonial state, the study argues that postcolonial Africa's neopatrimonialism has remained antagonistic to democratic consolidation due to the weakness of the democratic movement and the international community's accommodating attitude, which takes African leaders' professed commitment to democracy at face value and overly associates democracy with elections, even when they are rigged. It further submits that Nigeria's democratic legacy has been marred by fraudulent elections, poor leadership, corruption, weak institutions, notably the judiciary, deteriorating infrastructure, widespread and extreme poverty, inadequate governance, and a failing security architecture. Among other recommendations, the study suggests an enhanced and strategic leadership recruitment process, strengthening of institutions, and a concerted effort to combat corruption and poverty.