Social Contract Theory: A Mirage or Reality in the Nigerian State

Abstract

This paper interrogates the realities of social contract theory of the origin of state with regards to the socio-political and economic stands of Nigeria state. The primary objective or function of the state is protection of life and property of its citizenry. Man under state of nature found out that life was short, nasty and brutish. Thus, Man was living in fears. Hence the need to overcome these challenges inherent in the state of nature man entered into a contract among themselves to form a state. The essence is that the state will give them protection and provide for them that which they cannot provide for themselves. The paper therefore observed that the Nigerian State has failed in its own part of the agreement entered into with the people. The failure of Nigerian state manifested itself in the high level of insecurity and infrastructural decay in the country, which spur this investigation. The paper observed among others that insecurity and infrastructural decay in Nigeria is as a result of bad governance, poor maintenance culture, primitive capital accumulation, poverty, etc. The paper, therefore, suggests that the government should as a matter of fact redesign the security architecture of the country and without sentiment of political affiliation, ethnic origin or religious inclination deal with corruption in the lower and high offices.