WEAK INSTITUTIONS- A CHALLENGE TO GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: A REVIEW OF INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC).

Abstract

With the enormous potentials and resources available to Nigeria as a country, it has what it takes to rank among the developed and advanced countries of the world. But what is clear is that having enormous resources, as important and essential as it is, is not enough to make a country rise in development rankings. This is true with Nigeria which is still struggling with the problems of multidimensional poverty and massive underdevelopment despite her huge mineral and human resources. It takes good governance for any country to be able to utilize the resources at its disposal to achieve development and progress; this is the missing link for Nigeria. Lack of good governance is at the heart of the reasons why Nigeria is retarded in development. The preponderant factor that has hindered good governance is weak institutions. This paper would therefore try to draw the link between weak institutions and bad governance in Nigeria using the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), which is the Electoral Management Body (EMB) in Nigeria, as a case in point. It would highlight how the weakness of this particular institution has hindered good governance in Nigeria. it would also make some recommendations on how to reposition and strengthen this institution in order to encourage good governance in Nigeria.