Money Politics and Good Governance in Nigeria

Going by the events of the fourth republic politics in Nigeria from 1999 till date, it has become apparent that the process of seeking elective positions by politicians and their collaborators(sponsors)has reduced the practice of politicking to mere business investment venture solely for the purpose of profit maximization as epitomized by the Ngige/Uba and Ladoja/Adedibu fiasco, besides several other cases of massive corruption and money laundering that permeates the corridors of power at all levels. These situations speak volume of the kind of leadership the nation has had this past fourteen years as manifested by the increasing state of poverty, inequality and poor living conditions of Nigerians who are yet to savour the benefits of democratization. This paper argued that since the quest for material accumulation and consolidation has remained the bane for seeking political power, various shades of persons with questionable moral bankruptcy will continue to flood our politic landscape unhindered in order to manipulate the instrumentality of state power to further their ill-conceived motives of looting the nation’s wealth rather than address the urgent societal problems of poverty, hunger, infrastructural decay, rising unemployment, insecurity, to mention but a few. The paper concludes by stating emphatically that there is urgent necessity to put in place a workable constitutional framework that is people oriented and empowers them with the ultimate sovereignty of choosing those to govern them, otherwise the ‘demon’ called money and its manipulative tendencies will continue to undermine the process of democratic governance in Nigeria

Democratic Governance and Human Development Sustainability in Nigeria

This paper argued that the focus on human and social capital advancement which embodies development should form the basis upon which we appraise the success or otherwise of democratic governance in Nigeria since the return to civilian rule in 1999. This is borne out of the fact that the utility of democratic governance is measured by the values, concerns and priorities of the people as well as their active participation in the pursuit of development and economic transformation. As such, it is manifestly clear that over the past14 years since the return to democratic rule in Nigeria, the nation's 'leadership' has consistently failed to deliver on the instrumental value of meeting the social needs of the people for improved quality of life. This is evidently manifested by its poor human development indicators which include widespread poverty, unemployment, poor health conditions; uneven income distribution, inadequate literacy rates, and low life expectancy.Coupled with this is the realization that the policies of government are not pro poor policies that addresses the very foundational needs of the people in terms of access to qualitative education, healthcare, employment opportunities and security. Consequently, it is very disturbing that the governance process allows relative amount of political freedoms and little or no amount of economic freedoms. In fact, what we have as democracy is nothing more than the· "democratization of disempowerment" characterized by poverty, inequality, and lack of government accountability and transparency. Today, public interests, well-being and empowerment of the people are not the measure of all things that underlie governance to the extent that government agenda and policies are undemocratic an.d have largely been an exercise in alienation. The paper sums with the conclusion that for democratic governance to thrive and be consolidated IYf Nigeria, it is essential to first address the state of the material conditions of the people through aggregating their common interests and conscientiously strive for the attainment ofthese goals

Political Corruption and National Development in Nigeria

This paper argued that the emergence of democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa is rooted in socioeconomic grievances and demand for better standards of living expressed by the people against obnoxious regimes - colonialism, military or civilian. Besides, the form of economic system, internal misrule, the complicity of western governments, development donors and creditors (such as IMF and World Bank) have also influenced the process of democratization and governance in particular directions generating serious implications for the continent's overall development. Thus, since 1999, the expectation of the people of Nigeria that the return to civilian administration would create platform for them to savour the dividends of democracy have not being met. This is particularly so given the high jacking of the processes of political competition and elections by the elite and the middle class who exploit it for their selfish benefits rather than for economic redistribution of resources and improving the quality of life of the citizenry. This realism explains the fact that twelve years into civilian rule, massive corruption, absence of political openness, transparency, accountability, electoral rigging, god-fatherism etc holds sway in the polity, coupled with huge incidence of poverty, inequality, unemployment and poor social infrastructure. The paper interrogates the subject of political corruption and national development in Nigeria through the prism of clientelism, prebendal ism and patrimonial ism, in espousing the bane of continuing underdevelopment in the Nigerian society. The paper concludes on the premise that political corruption will be fought headlong when we create political stntctures where the economic and political rights of the people are justiceable; create an environment where the citizenry can define the kind and type of political change they really desire rather than the one that are foist on them

GLOBAL MODERNITY, SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DISLOCATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT INEPTITUDE IN AFRICA: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

Global modernity or the process of industrialisation where social, economic and cultural relations increasingly take on a global scale has been very uneven between the West and African nations like Nigeria. For many in Africa, it has not brought tangible benefits. Rather, it has led to an increasing disillusionment due to dislocations caused by slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism which today have been made worse by the workings of the global free market economy for which the West are the profiteers and Africa the losers. The paper examines the interface between the national economy and the global economy; the unfavourable role and manipulations of the World Bank, IMF and the WTO in the exploitation and perpetual subjugation in Africa. It also examines the effects of trade liberalisation and the growing inequalities between the rich and the poor in Nigeria. With an overreliance on cntde oil, the price of which is determined by the global market, policies and programmes of government have only helped to worsen the debilitating effects of inflation, unemployment, insecurity, hunger, poverty and hopelessness in the country, especially in the face of current global economic melt-down. A number of solutions have been proffered which it is expected will help capture the interests and needs of the Nigerian people and bring them into the mainstream of true global modernity

Taming the Rape Scourge in Nigeria: Issues and Actions

All through the passage of time women have always been perceived as the weaker vessel, and so have been subjugated and oppressed by culture in most African societies. The culture is defined by inequality and the subjugation of the female folk. Gender-based violence, including rape, domestic violence and other sexual abuses, has assumed serious dimensions globally. In Nigeria, incidences of rape are fast assuming a threatening dimension that requires urgent intervention. Rape, like other forms of violence against women, is an infringement on women’s rights, privacy, self-preservation and dignity. Available data in the print and electronic media reveal that rape issue has become a serious social problem of epidemic proportion and no longer an isolated criminal act affecting just a few women in the society. In recent times the incidences of rape have increased at an alarming rate in Africa and also in Nigeria. There is little or no policy or law that helps protect the victims as they are blamed, stigmatized and humiliated by the public if it is brought to the public domain. This paper interrogates the dynamics, socio-psychological, institutional, socioeconomic and cultural factors accentuating cases of rape on both the victims and the perpetrators of this heinous criminal act. The paper concludes with recommendations on ways and means of tackling this social menace

Psychosocial Health of Adolescent living in Urban Slum Nigeria

The paper examines association of neighborhood characteristics with psychosocial statues of adolescent living in urban slums. Data for the study were obtained from a cross sectional survey among adolescent age 15-19, living in urban slums in Lagos State. Adopted a measuring scale for adverse environment and psychosocial attributes, data were analyzed using univariate and binary logistic regression analysis. Results revealed that neighborhood characteristics were associated with low self-academic performance rating. Both parental process and neighborhood factors such social disorganization was able to predict psychosocial wellbeing such subjective academic performance rating. The findings revealed among others that adverse neighborhood characteristics in urban slum were associated with unhealthy subjective wellbeing which reflects wide personal and social contexts and have implications for public health and social wellbeing. This paper calls for programmes that are tailor to addressing rapidly developing slum settlements in low income area, to secure the future generation

Neonatal Death in Sub-Saharan Africa and Associated Maternal Interpersonal Socio-cultural Factors

Several factors have been attributed to high neonatal death from studies. However, few studies that have examined mothers’ social factors have limits those factors on education, type of place of residence and income. This study extends on findings from previous studies, using DHS survey data conducted in 2013 in Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone to examine the association between maternal socio-cultural factors and neonatal death. The result of weighted multilevel logistic regression analysis, show that the residing in rural area (OR=0.110, 95% CI=1.116-1.11, Islamic religion (OR=0.091, 95% CI=1.096-1.096), having co-wives (OR=0.105, 95% CI=1.110-1.111), justifying beating for going out without telling husband (OR=0.034, 95% CI=1.035-1.035) and justifying beating for refusing sex (OR=0.122, 95% CI=1.129-1.130)  were significantly more likely to report neonatal death. After adjusting for age, education and wealth, all these factors continued to be significant predictors of neonatal death. Though, the odd of neonatal death is less with age and education. The present study shows relative influence of multiple, interrelated maternal socio-cultural factors on neonatal death and confirm our hypothesis that women context indirectly influences neonatal outcome

TEENAGE PREGNANCY: THE FEMALE ADOLESCENT DILEMMA

Teenage pregnancy is now a major issue today in Nigeria. It has become common to see many young teenage mothers in and around the different states of Nigeria. Teenage pregnancy is pregnancy that occurs in human females under the age of 20.The World Health Organization statistics reveal that 95% of births to mothers in this age group occur in low to middle income countries, with the highest rates occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst approximately 11% of births world-wide occur to mothers aged 15-19, World Bank indicators showed that teenage mothers formed 22.9% of women in Nigeria in 2010. Early marriage, low social-economic status, lack of education and rural community living are all factors associated withteenage pregnancy.Teenage pregnancy hasdetrimental effects on the health of both mother and child.Many reasons have been adduced for this trend and they include socio-economic factors, lack of discipline and control,adolescent sexual behavior andpsychological factors. This growing problem has attracted attention from many quarters. Many residents in Lagos state have at one time or the other expressed their concern about the increase in teenage pregnancy rates, especially in communities where you find many low income dwellers.In this study,theSurvey method was employed in interrogating this issue. This study sought to measure the perception of teenagers, who are key actors in the subject under review.Senior secondary students,Pregnant Teenagers in Alimosho and Ikorodu Local Government Areas of Lagos state were interviewed.The study revealed that low socio-economic status, cultural factors, peer pressure, lack of adequate sex education were the major causes of teenage pregnanc

poverty: Inequality and Human Development in Nlgerla: Appraising the Non-Attainment of the MDGs

The challenge of the 2 I'' century has been how to confront and reduce widespread inequalities and poverty. This remains the core of development problems that underline the principal objective of development policy as embodied in the Millennium Declaration. Despite significant improvements over the past 50 years in advancing human well-being, extreme poverty and inequities remain widespread in the developing world. The world today is characterized by vertiginous accumulation of wealth by a few to the exclusion of larger majority who suffer untold hardrhip and Impoverishment. These conditions have been exacerbated by the adoption of free market paradigm anchored on private accumulation. This has engendered an overlap of all types of injustice and social polarization that now define the basis for social life in most countries of the world, including Nigeria where 70 percent of the population lives below US$ one dollar a day. As an exploratory study, secondary sources ofdata were engaged to interrogate the policy of market fundamentalism and the man((estations of inequities it has engendered The paper argued that the lack of access to essential goods and services for a dignified human existence, the unevenness in the distribution of incomes and fruits of economic growth, as well as constraints in the access to power, self-esteem and freedom coupled with the prevalence of ethnic, religious, gender differences and orientations have generated violence, unrests, war. terrorism and deepen social conflicts- which reinforce the conditions of growing social inequality. The paper further proposed a restructuring of the present one-size-fits all model of social relations of economic globalization to one which require closer economic cooperation, where people and countries collectivezv act together to solve their common problems qf trade, capital and environment. Besides, there is need for international financial institutions such as the World Bank/IMF to respect national sovereignty, allow each country 10 make appropriate decisions that will shape and strengthen the process of nation building and better quality of life. In all, decision-making about economic globalization must be democratic and recognize that economics is not zero-sum, .but one about transforming the lives of peopl