Abstract

This paper provides a historical analysis to democratization and the crisis of governance in modern Nigeria. The discussion takes its roots from the country’s colonial experience with regards to the early struggles for democratization. From a historical perspective, it explores and interrogates the tortuous trajectory of the country’s democracy along with its crisis of governance. It argues that the paradox of Nigeria’s geography, its flawed conceptualization of federalism, dysfunctional institutional framework of governance and several other factors are at the base of the country’s democratic imbroglio and crisis of governance. The paper concludes that the incapacity of Nigeria’s democratic system to guarantee the well-being of the citizens and the failure to cause a significant improvement in the material conditions of the citizenry since 1999 demonstrate a systemic degeneracy in the country’s governance.

Key Word: democratization, governance, federalism, sovereignty.