Debate In Nigeria Research Articles

The View of “Born Again” Christians on Politics in Nigeria

From time immemorial, discussions involving politics had sparked spontaneous debate in Nigeria. Many people claim that politics is a dirty game that Christians should avoid like plagues, holding the belief that politics is so bad that it will be extremely difficult for genuine Christians to successfully navigate its terrain without soiling their hands in sin. Very few people have drummed their support for Christians involving in politics. The people who maintain this stance also hinge their claims on various biblical injunctions. The focus of this work, therefore, is to examine these two opposing views with the purpose of establishing a position that can enhance development. In view of the nature of this study, historical method is employed in its analysis. The findings of this study, however, reveal that it is the power of productive politics and good governance not the power of fasting and prayers that are the key requirements for sustainable development. The findings further reveal that politics is one of the strategies for survival in Nigeria. If Christians dissociate themselves from it, they will be sending wrong and dangerous signals to the future generation because the risks involved in maintaining the status quo of hating politics is higher than the risk involved in participating in it. The study concludes that Christians can participate in politics as doing so will help them to eliminate the prevailing societal vices and evils. Keywords: Politics, Christians, power, sustainable development, strategy, participate, risk.

PARTY POLITICS AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA

While considering the democratic debate in Nigeria, we understand that the nexus between party politics and democratic governance lacks comprehensive analysis. This paper seeks to answer the question of whether party politics fosters or hinders democratic governance in Nigeria. It is intended to draw a nexus between internal party dynamics and poor governance in a democratic system of government using the theoretical tool of Group Theory. The methodology adopted is qualitative, and descriptive research design is used to guide the study. The study unveils the transactional nature of party politics as adversative and dysfunctional to democratic governance at all levels of government in Nigeria. Embedded within the drama of partisan politics, is a regime of patronage politics that is essentially opposed to all norms, values, and prevailing tenets of democratic governance. The paper recommends the accentuation of the purpose, and functions of political parties; it should be well defined and deeply rooted in the people with the hope of improving the system.

Achieving universal health coverage in Nigeria: the dilemma of accessing dental care in Enugu state, Nigeria, a mixed methods study

ObjectiveEquitable access to oral healthcare is a major focus of the Universal health coverage debate in Nigeria. However, a great majority of the population still do not have full coverage for essential oral healthcare services. This study will determine the extent of inequities in accessing oral healthcare services and the factors influencing access to equitable oral healthcare in Enugu state Nigeria. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional, urban and rural study conducted over two months in Enugu state Nigeria, using a mixed method approach. The quantitative study design used interviewer administered questionnaires to elicit information from 774 household members (394 urban and 380 rural) in study area who had sought dental care 6 months prior to study, and dental care providers (52) in selected dental health facilities. The qualitative study design involved in-depth interview of heads of selected dental health facilities to investigate factors influencing provision of dental care. Household data was collected house to house from randomly selected households in the LGA, while a face-to-face in-depth interview was conducted for purposively selected oral health professionals from study facilities. ResultsMajority of respondents sought care when they had toothache (72%). There was inequity in utilization of dental care across socioeconomic status groups (SES). The least poor SES (Q5) sought dental care in the private facilities, and chose to have dental fillings more than the poorest (Q1) and very poor SES (Q2) who visited public facilities and patent medicine dealer shops more and opted more for tooth extractions.(p < 0.05) Cost of services influenced access and treatment choice more among Q1 and Q2 than Q5 (p < 0.05) Qualitative results show that facility location, low awareness, human resource shortage and oral health financing methods influenced access. ConclusionIncreased awareness and inclusion of oral healthcare in all health insurance schemes with expansion of current oral healthcare benefit package will improve access to care and further improve chances of attaining universal health coverage.

Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria: Its Problems and Prospects

Local Government (LG) is the closest tier of government to the people, and the quest for local government autonomy still generates exciting and healthy debate in Nigeria. This study examines critically the opportunities and problems, which confront the Nigerian local government system in its efforts to establish itself as a true tier of government. The objectives of the study were aimed at achieving some specific goals which were to find out why the practice of complete local government autonomy is difficult in Nigeria; to investigate the level of autonomy in Nigeria local government system, and to suggest measures that can be adopted to check state interference in the local government affairs in Nigeria. Three major hypotheses were formulated to guide the research. Three hundred (300) questionnaires were distributed to the staff in Nkanu west local government area while two hundred and seventy-six (276) were properly completed and returned. A five-point Likert scale was used for making data analysis. The theoretical framework adopted in this study is the Marxist theory. The proponents of this theory see local government as an instrument of the central governments, which works either as a direct means of securing proletarian compliance through suppression. The findings revealed that there were constitutional loopholes or contradiction that tends to provide the impetus for the unscrupulous state of officials to nurse the inordinate desire for hedging in the local government left, right and center. However, the findings also revealed that the area of jurisdictional rivalry between the state and local governments are mainly the lucrative ones, like rate collection, distribution of fertilizers, and other farm inputs like pesticides. Recommendations were made that local Government autonomy is anchored on an improved revenue base, adherence to constitutional provisions, political stability, accountability, and transparency in governance.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND VIOLENT CONFLICT BETWEEN HERDERS AND FARMERS IN NIGERIA

This paper addressed the concern that the herders-farmers conflict debate in Nigeria has overlooked the role of climate change. It notes that although, commentators, especially official position on the issue usually blame it on ethnic politics, religious differences, indigene-settler wrangling, population explosion, expansion of farmland, blocking of grazing routes, ‘xenophobia’ and most recently, passage of anti-open grazing laws by some states et cetera. Conversely, as plausible as these narratives sound, they overlooked the contribution of climate change as threat multiplier in the phenomena. By overlooking this fact, they fail to capture and account for effects of extreme weather events like drought, desertification, change in precipitation and shrinking of water bodies, which compel herders to migrate southwards in search of arable land, water points and pasture for their cattle. Designed as a desk study, the paper noted the point that it was the struggle over access and use rights in addition to attempt by both parties to secure the available natural resources for themselves that usually result in these conflicts.

State Policing and the Political Restructuring Debate in Nigeria

Nigeria’s internal security could be perceived as the freedom from or absence of those tendencies which could undermine internal cohesion and the corporate existence of the nation and its ability to maintain its in dispensable contribution regarding spreading of its core values and socio-political and economic objectives, as well as meet the legitimate aspiration of Nigerians. The nature and intensity of security threats together with the performance of the Nigeria’s Security apparatus has hitherto provoked the inclusion of state policing as a substantive element of the political restructuring debate in Nigeria. Against this backdrop , the current study intends to highlight constraints and possibilities of community policing in maintaining internal security within the context of the political restructuring debate in Nigeria. The study will have far reaching impacts on the country’s internal security system, its procedures, rulings, and practices. The study is also of high significance; as it examines the functions of state policing in attaining a well-organized internal security system. This study utilizes both secondary and documentary analysis to reveal its findings. The study recommends key institutional reform like the political restructuring prognosis must be implemented in terms of structural changes to make policing more effective.

RESTRUCTURING ANXIETY: CONTINENTAL, CORPORATE AND EURO-AMERICAN RESPONSES TO RESTRUCTURING AGENDA IN NIGERIA

This paper investigated restructuring anxiety in the African Union, Hemisphere North and their Trans-National Corporations in Nigeria. The paper discovered that ethnic groups and even scholarship on the restructuring debate in Nigeria are silent on the possible actions and inactions of the A.U, Britain, the U.S., France, and their TNCs (especially the Royal/Dutch Shell) operating in Nigeria. In the attempt to fill this gap, this paper recalls that to the extent that the then O.A.U (now A.U), world capitals in London, Washington D.C and Paris, and their TNCs were interested parties in course of the Nigerian Civil War, restructuring anxiety in these named actors would most likely work to undermine the genuine aspirations of certain ethnic groups of a restructured Nigeria. The paper recommends that the A.U, the global North and their TNCs must demonstrate unbiased interests in the Nigerian project by supporting to work out an equitable federal structure that would promote mutual co-existence among the diverse ethnic nationalities in Nigeria; a restructured Nigeria that would further strengthen her internal co-existence and her bilateral relations with the international community.

Ethno-Religious Conflicts and the Restructuring of Nigeria Debate: Issues, Trends and Perspectives

One of the burning national issues in Nigeria in recent times is the issue of political restructuring. Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversities have always influenced political decisions since the amalgamation in 1914. Several administrations, both colonial and post-independence, have fashioned out different political structures for the country. Currently, Nigeria operates a unique federal system in which the federal government wields enormous powers while the federating units are mere subordinates. In recent times, there has been clamour from different quarters for the political restructuring of the country. This paper examined the restructuring debate in the light of the country’s ethnic and religious diversities which have given rise to ethno-religious conflicts which have led to loss of lives and destruction of property in recent times. Political restructuring in the context of this study is the decentralization of political power in the country to ensure political balance among various ethnic and religious groups. Findings show that the fundamental issues that gave rise to the call for restructuring include ethnic diversity, religious pluralism and marginalization in the political equation of the country. These have fuelled ethno-religious conflicts which have ravaged most parts of the country. The paper recommends among others a form of political structure in which the federating units should be given the powers to manage their affairs in line with their ethnic and religious affiliations. It is believed that this will reduce the level of ethno-religious conflicts in the country.

Sub-National Governments’ Participation in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in Nigeria

The relative roles of the three tiers of government in public service delivery has emerged as one of the most important topics of open and vigorous debate in Nigeria. Being a federal system of government, there have been increased calls for intergovernmental fiscal relations in the country to be reassessed in light of a widespread belief that although the states and LGAs are assigned primary responsibility for the delivery of basic public services, they are not equipped with adequate revenue resources to fulfil their expenditure obligations. This study examines the prospects and challenges of sub-national governments’ participation in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which is the economic blueprint of the current federal government of Nigeria. Among others, the study observes that subnational revenue potential is limited by the inter-jurisdictional mobility of economic agents, with most naturally “local” taxes having low revenue yields. Hence, typically, subnational own-revenue sources are not commensurate with sub-national spending responsibilities, creating a vertical fiscal imbalance usually filled by fiscal transfers from the federal government. Of course, the almost exclusive reliance on federal transfers creates conditions for lack of accountability as sub-national governments may continue to shift blame and responsibility for service delivery to higher tiers of government that control the bulk of government revenues. The study also highlights the political and institutional constraints to sub-national government participation in Economic Development Plans in Nigeria, with suggestions as to how the constraints can be conquered.

Mandating Joint Audits in Nigeria: Perspectives and Issues

This paper reviews the benefits and costs of joint audits (audits in which financial statements are audited by two or more independent auditors), and ascertains the perceptions of stakeholders (Nigerian accountants, auditors, and accounting academics) as an important determining factor as to whether Nigeria's government should make joint audits mandatory. Accountants, auditors, and accounting academics were surveyed in Nigeria using a Likert-type questionnaire. Responses to the questions were analyzed using simple percentages and independent t-test statistics. Clarifications were also sought from partners of accounting firms. The study revealed little agreement among stakeholders on the desirability of mandated joint audits in Nigeria, although there was general agreement that the benefits outweigh the costs involved. The open-ended questions, and the clarifications provided by some accounting practitioners shed further light on the issues surrounding the use of joint audits in Nigeria. This study contributes to the current debate in Nigeria, on whether joint audits should be mandated, by eliciting the opinions of three important stakeholder groups. This study adds to the current literature on joint audits, and highlights avenues for further research, both in Nigeria, and in other developing countries.

Agripreneurship Curriculum Development in Nigerian Higher Institutions

Sustainable agriculture has remained a subject of debate in Nigeria for decades without tangible results. Between 2001 and 2007, agricultural sector accounted for 40 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and 51 percent of job creation. However, in 2015 agriculture accounted for only 17.77% of Nigeria’s GDP (National Bureau of Statistics, 2015). These figures are indications that agriculture has not met the need of the country, and reveal the dwindling nature of the sector. The declining nature of agriculture calls for a new strategy that will support agricultural development in Nigeria. This paper aims to advance agripreneurship education in Nigerian Universities by attempting to develop a curriculum that will trigger agriprenuership taught classes in Universities in Nigeria in attempt to increase youth and farmers participation in agripreneurship and improve the agricultural sector in general

Political Transition, Ethnoregionalism, and the 'Power Shift' Debate in Nigeria

The Nigerian military has been engaged in a program of transition to democratic rule since 1985. The country’s military rulers developed “transition politics” into a strategy of transitions without end, a ruse to prevent democratization. Hopefully, Nigeria is now at the crossroads. One of the most important issues posed in the transition has been the ethnoregional one: Would entrenched ethnoregional forces allow political power to shift from the North to the South? It is not a new question in Nigerian transition politics. Two broad issues surface when ethnoregional domination emerges as a political issue in Nigeria: control of political power and its instruments, such as the armed forces and the judiciary; and control of economic power and resources.

The Land Use Act and Land Ownership Debate in Nigeria: Resolving the Impasse.

This paper sets out to examine the concept of ownership with respect to land within the confines of the provisions of the Land Use Act and in the light of the diverse positions taken by scholars and commentators on the provisions of the Act. It discusses the positions of the 2 schools of thought on the subject, rationalizes them and posits that the underlying intent of the Act was to Nationalize all lands in the country by vesting the beneficial interest in the land in the state, leaving the citizens with determinable possessory rights and beneficial interest in the developments and improvements on the land. Resolving the impasse, the paper advocates for review of the Act to be in tandem with its underlying philosophy and principles as espoused in the preamble to the Act.

Television Docudrama as Alternative Records of History

From time immemorial human beings have sought to document their activities in realistic forms in order to pass across information about their lives to posterity. Even before the advent of cinematography, human beings had attempted to show life, not as static, but as dynamic. Cave paintings done by early men have shown an attempt to demonstrate movement through drawings of animals with many legs, designed to simulate motion. Also, attempts at showing moving images have included the shadow plays of North Africa and India, puppetry in many parts of the world, the pot art of India, etc. These activities presented the culture of the people and showed how icons are developed, what they stand for in the people's lives, and how people made meaning out of their lives and activities. With the development of the arts of cinematography and television, these also became vehicles to document happenings and events in the lives of the people.In this study, I discuss the television docudrama as an alternative means of documenting history. There are many reasons necessitating an alternative source of documenting history, but two examples from Nigeria will suffice to justify this position. The powers-that-be in Nigeria have decreed that it is no longer necessary to study history in primary and secondary schools, and the subject has been removed from the curriculum. Consequently, if a Nigerian citizen does not go to a tertiary institution to study history, the past of her/his people will forever remain a mystery to her/him. Currently, there is a very lively debate in Nigeria about the origins of the Yoruba people. Traditional rulers, who are supposed to be the custodians of history, are at loggerheads with each other and with eggheads in history departments. The traditional rulers are bringing out diverse facts and evidence that differ from previously written histories.

'The Affairs of a Distant Dependency': The Nigeria Debate and the Premiership, 1916

'The Affairs of a Distant Dependency': The Nigeria Debate and the Premiership, 1916

Political Transition, Ethnoregionalism, and the “Power Shift” Debate in Nigeria

The Nigerian military has been engaged in a program of transition to democratic rule since 1985. The country’s military rulers developed “transition politics” into a strategy of transitions without end, a ruse to prevent democratization. Hopefully, Nigeria is now at the crossroads. One of the most important issues posed in the transition has been the ethnoregional one: Would entrenched ethnoregional forces allow political power to shift from the North to the South? It is not a new question in Nigerian transition politics.Two broad issues surface when ethnoregional domination emerges as a political issue in Nigeria: control of political power and its instruments, such as the armed forces and the judiciary; and control of economic power and resources.

Political Transition, Ethnoregionalism, and the “Power Shift” Debate in Nigeria

The Nigerian military has been engaged in a program of transition to democratic rule since 1985. The country’s military rulers developed “transition politics” into a strategy of transitions without end, a ruse to prevent democratization. Hopefully, Nigeria is now at the crossroads. One of the most important issues posed in the transition has been the ethnoregional one: Would entrenched ethnoregional forces allow political power to shift from the North to the South? It is not a new question in Nigerian transition politics.Two broad issues surface when ethnoregional domination emerges as a political issue in Nigeria: control of political power and its instruments, such as the armed forces and the judiciary; and control of economic power and resources.

Andrew Bonar Law and the Fall of the Asquith Coalition: The December 1916 Cabinet Crisis

With the coming of World War I, Unionist party leader Andrew Bonar Law concluded that the best way to maintain national unity was to suppress interparty strife, and therefore he led his party into a coalition under the Liberal premier, H.H. Asquith, in May 1915. This essay suggests that he continued to support the Asquith coalition only so long as he thought it the best path to unity and victory. In December 1916, however, he lost patience with Asquith’s desultory war leadership and acted decisively to drive him from the premiership and bring about an alternative Government under David Lloyd George. After the celebrated Nigeria debate of 8 November 1916, Bonar Law realised that the profound frustration of Unionists with Asquith’s leadership held the potential for a party revolt which could upset the government and provoke a divisive wartime election. He concluded that a small executive committee for war management would solve both of these problems and came to cooperate with two powerful colleagues who thought similarly: the War Secretary, Lloyd George, and the Irish Unionist, Sir Edward Carson. Though his part in the crisis is typically depreciated by historians, once it became clear that Asquith rejected the idea of an independent war executive (which he assumed would be made up of his three antagonists) as well as the ceremonial role assigned him, Bonar Law acted decisively and in close cooperation with Lloyd George in destroying the government. Acting largely independently of his senior Unionist colleagues. Bonar Law brought his party into a reorganized Government in which he became the second leading force. Much previously unexploited evidence supports the thesis that Bonar Law was a key decision-maker in the demise of the Asquith coalition and that his part in this important episode has been undervalued and misunderstood.