Democratic Governance, Separatist Tendecies And Development In Nigeria, 2015-2019

Abstract

Democracy has been adjudged as the best form of the organization of human society for development and progress. The concept of democracy entails the process of bringing more people into the authoritative decision making process of a society. Democracy is intended to engender development while, on the other hand development is expected to sustain and enhance democracy. In a democratic space, it is expected that the interest of majority of the people will be taken into cognizance in authoritative decision making and implementation which is expected to engender development. Thus, democracy is envisaged as a tool to unify and mobilize the people for national development. However, President Buhari’s leadership style has cast doubt on his administrations democratic credentials thereby enhancing centrifugal tendencies, and thus affecting the developmental process in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper interrogates the nexus between the sectional administrative style of the President Mohammadu Buhari’s led administration and the intensification of separatist tendencies in Nigeria and its implication for national development. The paper is historical and descriptive thereby relying on secondary sources while the theory of social production and reproduction guided our discourse. Findings amongst others revealed that, if sectionalism in leadership and governance as being practice by the Buhari’s administration continues in Nigeria, separatist tendencies will continue to rear its ugly head in Nigeria’s political space, engendering democratic deficit, while enhancing the development of underdevelopment in Nigeria.