The Malady of Nigeria’s Democracy and Its Effect on Governance

Practically, democracy has been the tune that most states are dancing to because of its flexibility and accountability, which allows citizens to take part in the government’s decision-making. Though it was introduced by Greece and was vastly practiced by America, Nigeria has imitated it, but Nigeria’s democracy has deviated from the ideal democracy, because it lacks some variables (freedom of speech, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press, equality of law, and equal political representation) that an ideal democracy has. As a result of this, this paper takes an intellectual tour to ditch out the schisms between Nigeria’s democracy and ideal democracy by using the historical approach and secondary relevant data to know the history of Nigeria’s democracy. Also, this paper uses the elite theory as its framework because it aligns with democracy, and it also stresses minority representation of the majority. This paper indicates that the deviation of Nigeria’s democracy thwarts her dream of economic, political, and social development by keeping her toddling in the sphere of underdevelopment. The paper recommends that, in order to achieve political, economic, and social development, Nigeria should adopt the ideal democracy.