THE CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA'N SOCIETY: AN EVALUATION OF DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW SYNDROME FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

Abstract

Democracy and the rule of law are two of the basic concepts that may not be ruled out in a democratic institution. It is a concept that goes hand in hand with other concepts such as good governance and democracy. The purpose of this paper is to seek and explore the concept and practice of democracy and the rule of law in concrete existential Nigerian society is the principle of rule of law and is intrinsically not foolproof. Taking Nigeria as a case study, the paper argues that the rule of law is at best at its vegetative states. The paper adopts an analytic method of research to employ and probe the meaning of the rule of law and its viability in Nigeria's situations and analyses issues embedded in democracy and the rule of law syndrome in Nigeria's predicaments. Democracy is seen as essential and complementary to the rule of law, providing checks on its implementation, and a violation of democracy and the rule of law refers to the act of breaking established rules or regulations set by the legal system, leading to potential harm to society as a whole. The finding of this paper is that Nigeria's democracy and rule of law system faces numerous challenges, including pervasive corruption, electoral irregularities, weak political parties and limited citizen participation. These problems hinder the country's progress towards good governance and sustainable development. By the time the colonialists left, the local political elites had imbibed the culture of this type of governance that puts a premium on gaining political power without considerations for accountability, rule of law and constitutionalism. This paper recommended that to strengthen the rule of law and democracy, the prospects focus on ensuring access to justice, promoting accountability and fostering open government.