GOVERNANCE, POLITICAL MARGINALIZATION AND THE RESTRUCTURING DEBATE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Many African states are currently grappling with a myriad of existential challenges stemming from leadership and institutional failures over the years. These challenges, although similar to a considerable extent in form, scale and expression, are unique to each African state but they all call for an unprecedented political response. Nigeria is not an exception. Arguably, Nigeria’s case is most troubling because of the imminent collapse it portends for the country and the far-reaching negative implications for neighbouring African states. Quite uniquely, the rising tensions include but are not limited to a failing economy, seeming incapacitation of the security architecture to curb the mutating insecurity crisis, increased clamours against injustice, tyrannical tendencies of government and political imbalance perceived to be a deliberate attempt to shortchange certain ethnic identities in the country. This paper argues that at the core of these mutating challenges, is the continued failure of the political class to strengthen a governance structure that allows for an equitable delivery of the dividend of democracy as understood in the Nigerian context. Furthermore, the paper establishes a historical background to the governance crisis in Nigeria, identifies critical offshoots of this crisis (including agitations of political marginalisation) and draws the nexus between the crisis and the issue of restructuring which is the newest register in Nigeria’s socio-political lexicon. The paper further explores an empirical approach into the issues of governance, political marginalisation and contributes to the restructuring debate. Is restructuring the way to go, is it feasible given the current socio-political dynamics, or will it be an effort in futility?