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Mar 1, 2015Keywords:
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An Appraisal of the Nexus between State and Citizens in Contemporary Nigeria
Abstract
There is no gainsaying that although Nigeria has faced some challenging times in the past (especially during the civil war 1967-1970), at no other time have the citizens been made to bear the burden of the state than now. For instance, at no other time has the price of fuel been officially placed at N145, the value of US $1 to Naira at an exchange rate of N350 and black market around N380-N400, human and other critical security issues so critical than now. Against the foregoing, this paper seeks to re-examine the nexus between the state and citizen in contemporary Nigeria using Social Contract theory. The paper observes that in spite of the fact that Nigeria is naturally endowed with abundant resources, it is unfortunate that its misdemeanor has placed state-citizen nexus in the country in its present state of quagmire. Instead of the state bearing the brunt of breaching the social contractual terms of giving the citizens adequate security, social well-being and happiness, it has shifted it to the citizens. This is a reversal situation in the opinion of the paper because, as it argues, citizens are freed from the contract when the state breaches it. However, from the backdrop of patriotism, the paper concludes that even when violent or non-violent civil disobedience were to be the reciprocal action of the citizens to the state in this context, violence should be avoided.
