Ethnic Politics and National Integration in Nigeria: An Impact Analysis

Since Nigeria s independence in 1960 Nigerian politics has been bedeviled by ethnic politics as a result of ethnic polarization and sentimental coloration of all national issues This problem has been one of the major factors inhibiting national integration and national development in Nigeria Nigerian politics is tainted with ethnic sentiments and politically induced disharmony Ethnic politics has been one of the factors responsible for low productivity and the general poor socio - economic development in Nigeria The major focus of this study is to examine the challenges of ethnic politics in Nigeria as it relates to national integration with a view to critically evaluating the impact Secondary data was used to gather relevant information for this study One finding of the study is that ethnic politics was deliberately introduced and propagated in the Nigerian political system by the British colonial government through its divisive divide and rule policy to actualize colonial and imperialist economic and political objectives The situation has not abated in spite of several attempts to redress it through state creation and the Federal character principl

Participatory Budgeting in Nigerian Local Government Administration: A Panacea for Rural Development in Nigeria

Government annual budget is a public proclamation of its projected and actual expenditures which provide vital evidence of where a State sets its priorities Therefore this article seeks to show how the participatory budgeting offers citizens a large opportunity to learn about government operations and to deliberate debate and influence the allocation of public resources in the local government councils Through a descriptive historical analysis this study shows that the local government s current budget processes reveal that citizens have no understanding of what the local government council is committing itself to in its policy declarations and what it actually does in its budgetary allocations The extremely complicated technical and esoteric nature of the budget-making process and documents does not allow citizens to participate to have any say in it or to monitor the process it is the position of this paper that participatory budgeting programs are implemented at the behest of governments citizens nongovernmental organizations NGOs and civil society organizations CSOs to allow citizens to play a direct role in deciding how and where resources should be spent It is a tool for educating engaging and empowering citizens and strengthening demand for good governance It also enhanced transparency and accountability More so the study revealed that participatory budgeting helps reduce government inefficiency and curb clientelism patronage and corruption Besides recommending encouragement of citizen s participation in budgeting community-based organizations the civil society and the media should be involved and be stimulated to play the role of a conscience keeper on behalf of the poor and marginalized in the societ

Rethinking Prebendialism in Nigeria’s Socio-Political Process: The Implication for Democratisation of South-South Region

This study examines Godfathers impacts in the Nigerian socio-political process and the implication on the nascent democracy in the South-South Region The design was exploratory and the study was descriptive combining secondary data from books and the internet The study uncovered that godfathers were patron-occupying state offices as pre-bends They became the gate-keeper determines the development initiative to be followed and employed benefactors of privileges This study s findings also indicated that the state s character and the natures of politics in Nigeria had impacted negative values which now threatens the very foundation of the country s blossoming democracy leading to unhealthy rivalry and competition among godfathers to have control over state powers using their favoured political godsons and denies the electorates of their right to elect a generally acceptable candidate This act renders no free and fair elections Also the struggle for control of state powers has resulted in electoral violence in Nigeria either before or during or after election