The challenges of democracy on multi-ethnic and multi-religious African states; a study of Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is on challenges of democracy on multi-ethnic and multi-religious African states; a study of Nigeria. The emergence of globalization has thrown up democracy as one of the best system of government. African states and their leaders continuous to see states in Africa not with democracy as an outcast due to the advantages that democracy suppose to bring, but in Nigeria, democracy tend to be bedeviled by several Lacunas. The paper adopted the Elite Theory as basis for explanation and relied on the secondary method of data collection as it methodology, although democracy was suppose to provide development, close the gap of ethnicity and religion in Nigeria but it has not due to the lacuna associated with democracy in Nigeria. It is base on these lacuna that the paper by recommendation suggest that the Nigerian Constitution should be amended to deal with those grey area that make democracy through participation a burden to the ordinary man as democracy should really be seen as government of the majority, as popular candidate does not need to buy peoples conscience to emerge a leader and Nigeria democracy should be designed to be DEVELOPMENTAL oriented. It is only when Nigeria’s Democracy is patterned along provision of development that the dividend of democracy can be accessible to Nigerians because democracy was suppose to provide succour and not pains.