Democratic Transition and Consolidation in Nigeria: The Role of the Civil Society

Abstract

The promotion of democracy has developed into a common activity performed by a variety of actors since the collapse of the Soviet Union and other authoritarian communist regimes in the East-Central Europe. This wind of change has equally blown through Latin America to Africa where authoritarian civil regimes and military dictatorships have been challenged by popular
uprising for democratic reforms. While it is the state and the international institutions that have received most of the attention devoted to this increasingly important issue, other non-state actors have not been left out. This paper examines one such actor – the civil society in Nigeria’s democratization process and democratic consolidation. Data generation for the study is through content analysis of secondary materials. The paper finds out that the civil society has been instrumental to the restoration of democracy in the country but finds it difficult to be helpful in the consolidation of democracy in the country because most of them do not cut across ethno-religious lines thereby becoming political while others have transformed into ethnic militias. The paper concludes that only international assistance can help the civil societies take national outlook to be able to refocus their attention to issues of transparency and accountability and evolution of the democratic values necessary for enduring democracy.