Nigeria: Failed State and the State of the Nation

Abstract

Every failed or collapsed state in the world has a history. Such history is often laden with indices of practices abhorred in other progressive and relatively peaceful states. Nigeria has become infamous for her retarded growth when placed side by side with other developing countries. The reasons for these are not in the blues rather are seen in the day to day activities of an average Nigerian not to mention the seeming institutionalization of decadence in the political structure and polity. This article is anchored on the elite theory so as to plausibly explain this precarious situation. The methodology employed is mainly the analysis of secondary data from journals, literature and documentaries, while also carrying out relevant empirical review. Findings revealed that Nigeria as an entity has experienced in good measure and at a very high rate the characteristics of a failed state some of which include lack of adequate security, corruption, human rights violation, lack of development, weak governance, poor administration, enduring social tensions, violent conflicts, ruins or memories of a civil war, lack of respect for rule of law and loss of legitimacy. The study recommends among others that there should be National Action Plan to guide development strategies, reformation of electoral laws, respect for rule of law, public participation in decision making and a fiscal federalism.