List of Political Problems in Nigeria & Solutions
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Nigeria is regarded as one of the fastest developing nations in
Africa. In fact, her nickname is ‘Giant of Africa’. However, the
country’s political and economic field can be seen to be in
disarray. Nigeria ranks 144th most corrupt country in the 180
countries listed in Transparency International’s Corruption Index.
The country is estimated to have lost over $400 billion to corruption
since independence. There is no doubt there are problems facing
Nigeria’s politics and this article highlights these problems and
also suggests possible solutions.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
List of Political Problems in Nigeria & Solutions
Read on below:
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Godfatherism
Godfathers are political sponsors, who use money and influence to win
support and success for their preferred candidates. Godfathers are
those who have been in politics for a long time and now wield
unchecked power to do as they so, please. Thus, they can manipulate
election results and also appoint candidates they want into political
positions. Most times, someone who is venturing into politics looks
for a godfather who will be his career patron, which stands as backing
both financially and in terms of influence. When this candidate then
gets into power, he or she cannot break free from this godfather and
will have to keep obeying him. The danger in godfatherism is that
these godfathers wield power as they like, ensuring the leader they
put in power do their bid even if it means implementing policies that
will not favour the masses. Most times, the leader cannot oppose the
godfather anymore because the godfather can get him out of the office
just as he put him there. Also, because the candidate needs this
godfather so he can attain higher political positions. Nigeria is
supposed to be a democratic state; thus, the choice of candidates
should depend entirely on the elections of citizens, godfatherism
defeats this purpose. A solution to this problem is that policies
should be put in place to ensure elections are transparent and true so
as to render godfathers useless.
Corruption
Corruption remains a problem in Nigeria and especially in her world of
politics. Nigeria ranks 144th most corrupt in a list of 180. The
country is notorious as one of the most corrupted countries in the
world. The causes of corruption include greed, tribalism and nepotism,
and the general disposition towards corruption in the country. It is
in fact reported that 70% of corruption practices in Nigeria come from
those in politics. Often times, government officials put public funds
in foreign bank accounts or hide money under different names and bank
accounts so the society will not be aware of their money laundering.
Corruption is in fact not only a political problem, it finds its way
into other branches of the society such as economy, law, etc. It is
sad and unfortunate that the government which is supposed to be the
highest authority is the one involved the most in corruption. In order
to curb corruption in Nigeria, there needs to be strict measures and
penalties put in place for erring political officials. Those caught in
the act of money laundering should be properly brought to justice so
as to deter others in the future.
Tribalism
Tribalism has been the cause of war, electoral malpractices, and
political instability in Nigeria. Due to tribalism, citizens lose
their sense of reasoning and vote a person into power, not because of
their political capabilities but because he or she is from his or her
tribe. This results in unfairness during elections as the person who
is right for the job does not win the elections. Beyond elections,
tribalism also leads to inter-tribal conflicts and deaths because
people insist the person from their own tribe must get into office.
Injustice also thrives in the face of tribalism, for example, when a
leader who has been voted in based on tribalism commits an offense, he
or she is pardoned without prosecution, however, if the same offense
is made by another person, it will cause an uproar. Thus, double
standards are set and people figure they can get away with offenses as
long as they have their kinsmen on their sides.
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The first solution to the problem of tribalism is the re-orientation
of the people to embrace diversity and see themselves as a whole,
instead of along tribal divides. When people see themselves as
belonging to a whole bigger entity, Nigeria, they can let go of hate
and conflict. They would also be able to embrace a common goal of
developing the nation thus electing or appointing whoever will do the
job irrespective of their tribe.
Nigerian youth and political inactivity
Nigerian youths are smart, innovative, and vibrant but most of them
shy away from politics. This can be because of discouragement in the
area of politics where those in power for than 40 years are still the
same ones in power. Many believe the system cannot be changed and is
rotten beyond repair. Although laws have been put in place to get
youths into politics it has so far yielded little results. If the
youths can keep up striving to make sure their voices are heard and
their innovative ideas implemented, it will go a long way in evolving
the Nigerian political system.
Brown envelop journalism
Brown envelope journalism is a term used to refer to monetary and
other benefits given to journalists to gain undue favour. The effect
of brown envelope journalism is the media and journalism which is
supposed to be unbiased and independent becomes a publicity-seeking
outlet. The media begins to wane on integrity and objectivity because
news is commercialized. Journalists start to write commentaries and
twist news in favour of those who have paid them and the media then
cannot be trusted by the people. The media is an important aspect of
democracy because it represents the right of people to freedom of
speech. The first and primary obligation of the journalists is to
state and expose truth and facts. However, nowadays, journalists
praise leaders who they benefit from and then espouse their opponents
in a bad light. A solution to this problem is that the Nigerian Union
of journalists which is the body in charge of journalists all over
Nigeria should once again set standards for journalism and also ensure
adherence to these standards by putting grave penalties in place for
those found to have erred.
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Nigeria is regarded as one of the fastest developing nations in
Africa. In fact, her nickname is ‘Giant of Africa’. However, the
country’s political and economic field can be seen to be in
disarray. Nigeria ranks 144th most corrupt country in the 180
countries listed in Transparency International’s Corruption Index.
The country is estimated to have lost over $400 billion to corruption
since independence. There is no doubt there are problems facing
Nigeria’s politics and this article highlights these problems and
also suggests possible solutions.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
List of Political Problems in Nigeria & Solutions
Read on below:
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Godfatherism
Godfathers are political sponsors, who use money and influence to win
support and success for their preferred candidates. Godfathers are
those who have been in politics for a long time and now wield
unchecked power to do as they so, please. Thus, they can manipulate
election results and also appoint candidates they want into political
positions. Most times, someone who is venturing into politics looks
for a godfather who will be his career patron, which stands as backing
both financially and in terms of influence. When this candidate then
gets into power, he or she cannot break free from this godfather and
will have to keep obeying him. The danger in godfatherism is that
these godfathers wield power as they like, ensuring the leader they
put in power do their bid even if it means implementing policies that
will not favour the masses. Most times, the leader cannot oppose the
godfather anymore because the godfather can get him out of the office
just as he put him there. Also, because the candidate needs this
godfather so he can attain higher political positions. Nigeria is
supposed to be a democratic state; thus, the choice of candidates
should depend entirely on the elections of citizens, godfatherism
defeats this purpose. A solution to this problem is that policies
should be put in place to ensure elections are transparent and true so
as to render godfathers useless.
Corruption
Corruption remains a problem in Nigeria and especially in her world of
politics. Nigeria ranks 144th most corrupt in a list of 180. The
country is notorious as one of the most corrupted countries in the
world. The causes of corruption include greed, tribalism and nepotism,
and the general disposition towards corruption in the country. It is
in fact reported that 70% of corruption practices in Nigeria come from
those in politics. Often times, government officials put public funds
in foreign bank accounts or hide money under different names and bank
accounts so the society will not be aware of their money laundering.
Corruption is in fact not only a political problem, it finds its way
into other branches of the society such as economy, law, etc. It is
sad and unfortunate that the government which is supposed to be the
highest authority is the one involved the most in corruption. In order
to curb corruption in Nigeria, there needs to be strict measures and
penalties put in place for erring political officials. Those caught in
the act of money laundering should be properly brought to justice so
as to deter others in the future.
Tribalism
Tribalism has been the cause of war, electoral malpractices, and
political instability in Nigeria. Due to tribalism, citizens lose
their sense of reasoning and vote a person into power, not because of
their political capabilities but because he or she is from his or her
tribe. This results in unfairness during elections as the person who
is right for the job does not win the elections. Beyond elections,
tribalism also leads to inter-tribal conflicts and deaths because
people insist the person from their own tribe must get into office.
Injustice also thrives in the face of tribalism, for example, when a
leader who has been voted in based on tribalism commits an offense, he
or she is pardoned without prosecution, however, if the same offense
is made by another person, it will cause an uproar. Thus, double
standards are set and people figure they can get away with offenses as
long as they have their kinsmen on their sides.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The first solution to the problem of tribalism is the re-orientation
of the people to embrace diversity and see themselves as a whole,
instead of along tribal divides. When people see themselves as
belonging to a whole bigger entity, Nigeria, they can let go of hate
and conflict. They would also be able to embrace a common goal of
developing the nation thus electing or appointing whoever will do the
job irrespective of their tribe.
Nigerian youth and political inactivity
Nigerian youths are smart, innovative, and vibrant but most of them
shy away from politics. This can be because of discouragement in the
area of politics where those in power for than 40 years are still the
same ones in power. Many believe the system cannot be changed and is
rotten beyond repair. Although laws have been put in place to get
youths into politics it has so far yielded little results. If the
youths can keep up striving to make sure their voices are heard and
their innovative ideas implemented, it will go a long way in evolving
the Nigerian political system.
Brown envelop journalism
Brown envelope journalism is a term used to refer to monetary and
other benefits given to journalists to gain undue favour. The effect
of brown envelope journalism is the media and journalism which is
supposed to be unbiased and independent becomes a publicity-seeking
outlet. The media begins to wane on integrity and objectivity because
news is commercialized. Journalists start to write commentaries and
twist news in favour of those who have paid them and the media then
cannot be trusted by the people. The media is an important aspect of
democracy because it represents the right of people to freedom of
speech. The first and primary obligation of the journalists is to
state and expose truth and facts. However, nowadays, journalists
praise leaders who they benefit from and then espouse their opponents
in a bad light. A solution to this problem is that the Nigerian Union
of journalists which is the body in charge of journalists all over
Nigeria should once again set standards for journalism and also ensure
adherence to these standards by putting grave penalties in place for
those found to have erred.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
jQuery(document).ready(function( $) { $.post(
'https://nigerianfinder.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', {action:
'mts_view_count', id: '290925'}); });
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