Plato’s Philosopher Rulers: Lessons for Nigeria

The current state of affairs in Nigeria is the reality of the state of nature portrayed by social contract philosophers. The Nigerian state has failed to provide security for lives and property. The basic necessities of life are luxuries in Nigeria. The legislators enact selfish laws while the judiciary is being emasculated by the mighty and the executive formulates and implements self-serving policies. The government has become of men rather than of laws. This is due to the failure of leadership, which is predicated on the quality of the rulers, most of whose level of education cannot afford them the acumen for statecraft. The matrices of the problem are: colonist influence; manipulations by the cult of the uneducated; and the political aloofness of educated Nigerians. Plato’s political ideology for an ideal state remains a classic reference for many generations after his death. In the instant case, his theme on the qualifications of the philosopher rulers (guardians) after rigorous educational training could serve as a paradigm for Nigeria. Therefore, the work recommends that the minimum educational qualifications for Nigerian rulers be reviewed upward to a university degree, which not only equates with the rigorous educational training for the guardians in Plato’s ideal state but also sufficient to broaden the horizons of the rulers to comprehend, analyse and reach decisions on complex issues. Thus, ss. 131 (d), 177 (c) of the CFRN 1999 (as amended) should be amended. Finally, educated citizens should be involved in the political affairs of Nigeria in order to fill the quality gap in the quality of rulers. Or else there would always be square pegs in round roles and the ship of state would wreck

Appraisal of Existing Frameworks on Judicial Independence in Nigeria

Frameworks enhance the independence of the judiciary. Thus, there are different types of frameworks on the independence of the judiciary: legal and institutional. These are subjected to examination to bring them in line with current realities. This has necessitated the volume of pieces of literature proposing frameworks for reforms. Thus, in addition to the legal and institutional frameworks is the textual framework. The legal frameworks cover legislative enactments like the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(as amended), institutional frameworks like the regulations handed down by the National Judicial Council (NJC) and textual frameworks which are academic works of scholars, jurists and legal practitioners. This paper undertook an appraisal these frameworks and made proposals, like an amendment to s. 271 CFRN 1999, for further reforms, towards enhancing judicial impendence in Nigeria and aligning it with international standards

The Judiciary as Bulwark of the Rule of Law and Democracy in Nigeria

Democracy, especially constitutional democracy, rests on the rule of law, which rests on the legislature, executive and judiciary tripod. Nigeria has adopted these principles since independence to date, although with military interregnums. The roles of the legislature and executive are often highlighted partly because of electioneering procedures of the manifesto (propaganda), voting, among others. The contrary is the case with the judiciary, which appears to be in the background but plays very pivotal roles in preserving the rule of law and democracy principles. It does not issue manifestoes; it neither campaigns nor seeks election and does not hold constituency meetings. As a result, its roles in engendering the rule of law and democracy in Nigeria are less known. With the aid of decided cases, this work contends that the judiciary is indeed the bulwark of the rule of law and democracy. Therefore, those trampling on the judiciary, especially its independence should be cautious to know that but for the judiciary the minimal progress Nigeria has made in implementing the principles of rule of law and democracy would not have been achieved in the face of the excesses of the legislature and executive. In the same vein, the judiciary must purge itself and be of high moral turpitude to effectively play these sacred roles