VIOLATION OF SOCIAL CONTRACTS: AN IMPEDIMENT TO NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The credibility of anti-corruption and counter-insurgency crusade of Buhari's administration has been undermined by flagrant disregard for court orders, violation of human rights, selective prosecution, and prolonged court cases. These problems are corollaries of weak institutions of the Nigerian state. A wave of these ills has ripple effects, as it reinforces and sustains corruption, violence, terrorism, political instability, social cleavages, religious intolerance and other vices. Consequently, Nigerian society cannot guarantee and secure good life of its members which is the end of the state. Against this background, this paper utilizes Locke's social contract theory to argue that the inconveniences in the state of nature which necessitate the emergence of the civil society have resurfaced in terms of poor dispensation of justice and implementation of laws. The method of analysis is employed to examine the extent to which the violation of social contracts, exemplified in the Nigerian Constitution and laws, affects national integration. The research discovers that attempts at national integration have failed and are failing because the key factors in the integration of different ethnic groups, namely, equality before the law, justice, promotion of people's welfare and preservation inalienable rights are virtually nonexistent. People show proclivity towards disintegration when they become increasingly disillusioned with their leaders due to credibility gap. The chief purpose of the government is the preservation of rights to life, property, and liberty. When these rights are flagrantly abused and violated, people do not feel obligated to remain in the current political arrangements. The paper recommends that strengthening the institutions of the state through sustained and effective implementation of laws and quick dispensation of justice will go a long way towards achieving national integration.