Invulnerability of the Chief Executive and Democratic Sustainability in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges

The debate on the invulnerability of the chief executive in modern democracy has raged on with no end in sight soon Executive recklessness and impunity seem to have been given a tacit constitutional approval as no criminal proceedings can be brought or continued against the President the Vice President the Governor and the Deputy Governor during their tenures in office though the provisions do not take cognisance of the statute of limitations as criminal charges could be commenced or continued after the tenures of the holders of these offices Equality before the law presupposes that the law should apply equally to the rulers and the ruled save for privileges permitted by the Constitution or other law In the words of that erudite jurist Lord Denning MR To every subject in this land no matter how powerful I would use Thomas Fuller s words over 300 years ago Be you never so high the law is above you 1 I Introduction Based on the above this paper examines the invulnerability of the heads of executive arm of government in the discharge of their constitutional duties It x-rays the origin of sovereign immunity of the chief executives in Nigerian polity and the effects of invulnerability of the chief executive on the political stability of the natio

Public Policy, Welfarism, and Social Service Delivery In Nigeria: The Case Of A Receding State

The retrenchment of the welfare state came with the global ascendancy of the neoliberal policy regime since the 80’s. Since then, the gap between public wants and state policies in most parts of the developing world has widened. The ensuing decline in policy representation and responsiveness —the meeting point between larger public interest as aggregated through public opinion and public policy—has inspired public suspicion and constrained policy legitimacy, thereby resulting in tension between the government and the citizenry now alert in reminiscence of past failures and its negative welfare implications. Nigeria is trapped in a triple development arrest: endemic political corruption and mismanagement, rising challenges of insecurity, and an abysmal state of public infrastructure. In all, the living condition and welfare of the people is the casualty. Contrary to the much advertised gains of neoliberal reforms, and in spite of sponsored reports of economic growth, the living conditions of the average citizen continues to decline amidst mounting youth unemployment, infrastructural decay, pervasive and still rising poverty figures, persistent institutional failures in the delivery of basic social services, and an expanding portfolio of social criminality, corruption and violence. The paper examines public policy and social welfare in Nigeria. It highlights socio-economic factors affecting welfare conditions. It argues that state policies impose the cost of state failure and economic sabotage orchestrated by politically shielded elite on the citizens. It submits that real growth and a smooth state—society relation is achievable when governments check elite venality which constrains development and welfare delivery to the masses by criminalizing and vigorously reducing corruption. It recommends the prioritization of public welfare, an aggressive national action against corruption and a refocusing of national development policy. Keywords: welfarism, public policy, neo-liberalism, social services, Nigeria

Need for Security Sector Reform: Nigerian Perspective

Abstrac

Nigeria-Benin Border Closure: Implications for Economic Development in Nigeria

Nigeria remains the major international market for foreign earnings for many countries in the word. The Republic of Benin in the sub-Sahara Africa is majorly dependent on Nigeria for the survival of her international trade. This study investigates the Nigeria-Benin border closure and its implications on Nigerian economic development. Secondary data were used for the research, and content analysis was the instrument used in analysis of the data generated from the study. Smuggling was confirmed to occur on the Nigeria-Benin border and was perpetrated by residents of both countries. Though legal commercial activities still take place on the same border. Illegal activities on the Nigeria-Benin border include cross-border crimes like banditry and kidnapping as well as trafficking in human beings, contraband goods, illegal arms and ammunition, illicit drugs, and diverted petroleum products. All these transactions constitute serious threat to Nigeria’s national security and affects it economy. Therefore, the illegal activities on the border led to its closure by the Nigerian federal government in August 2019. The effects of the border closure on Nigerian socio-economic includes decrease in all smuggling activities and other cross-border crimes. There were increase in domestic production and patronage: 60% increase in rice consumption, 30% decrease in domestic fuel consumption, 56% increase in daily income generation of Nigeria Customs Service, and seizure of contraband goods worth over US$6.4billion within 71 days of the border closure. The downside effects of the border closure include restricted movements of residents of border towns in Nigeria, price increase in consumer goods across Nigeria, and increase in national inflation from 11.22% to 11.61%. As a result of the implications of Nigeria-Benin border closure on Nigerian economy, recommendations on improvement of Nigeria-Benin border relations include change in economic policy by Benin, improvement in Nigeria’s infrastructure, improvement in the Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts, and modernisation of the Nigeria Custom Service to be effective and proactive

Climate change, pastoral migration, resource governance and security: the Grazing Bill solution to farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria

Violent conflict between native communities and migrant herdsmen is one of Nigeria’s most ubiquitous security challenges in the age of climate change. It accounts for an increasing number of human and material losses which is not only surpassed by the country’s ongoing counter-insurgency, but also threatens unity among its regions. It has therefore gained attention in the legislative arm of government. In response, lawmakers mainly of northern Nigeria extraction have proposed a Grazing Bill which seeks to expand and legalize nationwide access to grazing land for pastoral farmers in defiance to agitation in host communities for legislative protection. A cardinal principle of federalism is the premium placed on preservation of local interests that are peculiar to component units while harnessing strength in areas of concerns common to federating units. Against the backdrop of Nigeria’s federal system and its social, ecological and historical diversity, this paper examines the implications of the proposed Grazing Bill for managing farmer-herder conflict. It argues that frameworks which downplay the country’s diversity will further aggravate conflicts and insecurity in the fragile federation. The paper therefore advocates for sedentary system of cattle ranching