Nigeria and the Political Economy of Underdevelopment: Focus on Selected Issues

There are several manifestations of underdevelopment in the political economy and, in general, the governance of several countries in Africa. Unlike most parts of Europe, United States of America, Australia that are advanced in development, and even Asia where remarkable economic growth is rapidly paving the way for development; especially through the provision of essential amenities in health services, education, potable water and energy among others, the political economy of Africa is yet to lay a sufficiently solid foundation for sustainable development. Using Nigeria, for the obvious reasons of its huge human and material endowments as well as the comparative advantage of its ethnic diversity; as a case study, this paper attempts to critically examine some of the probable causes of under development in Africa. It focuses particular attention on leadership failure and general abuse of official privileges that have, over the years, combined to exacerbate the problems of corruption, the culture of impunity and "big manism." The paper notes that these are at the core of the problematic issue of underdevelopment in most parts of the African continent. Data for this study will essentially be gathered from secondary materials. In other words, its methodology will be narrative, descriptive and analytical. It adopts an eclectic framework of analysis, which combines prominent explanations on the colonial origin of the state in Nigeria, the subsequent emergence of mostly ill-prepared political and economic leaders as well as the effects of all of these on the country's public policy processes. While emphasizing Nigeria's fourteen-year old democratization, which began with renewed hope in 1999; for examples of contemporary challenges that have confronted the country, it also draws on examples of best practices, effective leadership and development oriented programmes from across the world, in making its suggestions for Nigeria and many other parts of Africa. Keywords: Political economy, underdevelopment, leadershi

The Politics of Intergovernmental Relations: Assessing the Many Phases and Challenges of Nigeria’s Judicial System

The judiciary is an important organ of government as it functions as a counterbalancing institution in states. Notwithstanding the nature of the political system in place, either democratic or nondemocratic, the judiciary plays the essential role of interpreting the extant laws and adjudicating between competing interests whether domiciled in individuals, groups, institutions of government or the various arms of government. The stabilising role of the judiciary in modern governance is exemplified by its ingrained function of checking the excesses of individuals, groups and government institutions through the application of state laws. Since Nigeria’s independence, its judiciary has been discharging its constitutional responsibilities. The journey of the Nigerian judiciary has been quite explosive, considering that it traversed both the jackboot of military authoritarianism and democratic governance in diverse forms, with each presenting its own peculiar bouquet of challenges. This chapter examines the various phases and attendant challenges that the Nigerian judiciary has passed through. It chronicles its many challenges and triumphs as well as low points. In sum, the Nigerian judiciary has acquitted itself admirably in dealing with such challenges as judicial independence, judicial accountability and crisis of condence occasioned by judicial recklessness and corruption. However, Nigeria’s judicial system still has room for further improvement in order to continue to command the respect of the citizens and thus, deserve such epithets as “the last hope of the common man”, “the bulwark of the people’s liberty”, “the defender of the rights of the people” and “the bastion of constitutional democracy,” among others, which demonstrate public acceptance and confidence