Governance and Sustainable Peace in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examined the role of governance in the achievement of sustainable peace in Nigeria. It is obvious that insecurity is the order of the day in Nigeria presently. This is not surprising because of the apparent failure on the part of political leadership that has been amassing the Nation’s wealth neglecting the masses. The end result of this ugly state of affairs is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. The political leadership instead of thinking out of the box to ensure the bridging of the gap between the rich and the poor by seeking ways of diversifying the economy to open up opportunities for job creation seems contented with the status quo. The political leadership seems to be enjoying the state of inequality in the country because it provides them ample opportunity to have the poor manipulated by giving them stipend to get their votes during elections. This high level of inequality and the exploitation inherent in it has made the poor masses to be disillusioned and disenchanted. The resultant effect of this is the springing up of terrorist groups like Boko Haram, armed robbery, kidnapping, separatist agitators like the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta. While some of these groups appear to carry out destructive acts against the state and the citizens as a way of venting their anger, others perpetrate dangerous act in order to survive the harsh economic condition foisted on them by the political leadership. All these actions have combined to bring the Nigerian economy to its knees. In order to guide against this ugly scenario, it is recommended in this paper that there should be effort to enthrone good governance that would ensure proper and prudent management of the economy as well as respect the principles of rule of law.

Key words: Governance, Peace, Development, Economy, Rule of Law, Security