Good Governance and Development in Depraved Democracies: Lessons from Nigeria

Nigeria's sixty-two years of independence were full of developmental challenges, and the twenty-three years of unbroken democratic governance in the country's Fourth Republic did not help the matter. These years can be described, as years of trial governance with no meaningful development. It is to this extent that the study analyses democratic governance and national development in Nigeria. The study which derives its data from secondary sources, as well as authors' observations of events in Nigeria, discovered that dangerous ethnic division; competitions, and rivalries were the root of Nigeria's problem. The study further revealed that the country type of democracy is not an "ideal democracy", but a "depraved democracy" that lack the basic features, and qualities of democracy; and most of the political leaders who emerged into the country’s governance system were unwilling, incompetent, and unpatriotic. The study equally showed that the quality of governance in Nigeria has not been satisfactory, it is marred by corruption, with attendant effects of unemployment, inflation, and poverty, while social vices, such as illegal bunkering, hooliganism, kidnapping or hostages’ taking, internet frauds, drug peddling, prostituting, and armed robbery thrives on. The study concludes that democracy on its own cannot automatically bring about good governance, only an ideal democracy, where men with vision, mission, integrity, ideas, ideals, who are ready, willing, and committed can, not until this happens, good governance and development will remain “a flying pig” expedition.