Journal of Nation-building & Policy Studies - latest Issue

This study examined the Nigerian population policies of 1988 and 2004. Using qualitative method, the study found that those population policies have progressively failed due to a wide range of factors, which includes cultural and religious factors as well as the adoption of a mono-cultural approach to the policy, in a multi-ethnic country as Nigeria. The researchers further identified other reasons that weakened the policies to include lack of trust in the Nigerian government by the masses, incompetence on the part of the population agencies and widespread corruption amongst public and civil servants who misappropriate public funds. The researchers argue that adopting a multicultural approach will not make the policies become effective due to engrained religious and cultural values of certain Nigerians. It was hence recommended that the government and private agencies should partner to tackle social issues impeding on human development in the country such as poverty, child marriage, debilitating educational system, illiteracy and poor economic growth as a way of improving population management. The authors maintain that tackling these issues will indirectly yield the desired effects on population checks as people will become better informed and committed towards population management in their families.

Concerns over autonomy of local governments and the outcomes of intergover nmental relations at the state level in Nigerian federalism was the thrust of this study. The place of independent-minded local governments that can effectively provide social amenities within their jurisdictions cannot be underestimated in nation-building, especially of federalisms. Using a qualitative content-analysis approach on desk research data, this study notes the near absence of constitutionalism and rule of law in the state-local intergovernmental relations in Delta State vis Nigeria within the period under review. The study was delimited Delta State. This is because the situation of local autonomy, which derives from intergovernmental relations as defined by the 1999 Constitution in one state of Nigeria, can be used to generalise for the entire federation. It found that the context of constitutionalism in the governmental relations at the state level in Nigeria generally is worsened by the letters and language of the 1999 Constitution, which grants overbearing powers to the state governments in the relationships. The study argues that the problem of nation-building in Nigeria flows from the suppression of local autonomy by state-based political and bureaucratic institutions particularly. It found that there was absence of constitutionalism and the rule of law in the intergovernmental relationships in Delta State and that the state’s local governments did not enjoy fiscal, political and functional autonomy from the various state ruling regimes. The study noted the wilful usurpation of some exclusive local government functions as specified in the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution with high revenue generation potential by the different Delta State’s regimes also. It recommended amongst others the review of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution and amendments in the fiscal, functional, economic planning and political decentralisation spheres in the inter-government relationships in Delta State vis Nigeria.

Road transportation is one of the most prevalent and widely used means of transportation in Nigeria. This paper examines how corruption by security and safety officers through the abuse of roadblocks and checkpoints and the get rich quick syndrome of commuters precipitate a compromise of road safety policies leading to implementation paradox and insecurity in the Nigerian road transport system. The paper traced the origin of these phenomena to the era of colonialism and the end of the Nigerian Civil War with the attendant socioeconomic hardship of the period and observed that although with increased construction of roads, street lights and traffic control systems; human insecurity in road transportation has increased tremendously. The exercise of overloading vehicles with goods and passengers, speed driving, undue taxation by transport unions and collection of bribe by armed uniform officers are contentious issues which confronts road transportation in Nigeria as identified in this study. The paper contends that this pervasive trend shows an implementation paradox of road safety and security legislations and portends pernicious implications to the development of efficient and effective road transport system, national development and nation building. The nation-building effects threaten human security and enhances national corruption index, due to the unprofessional activities of motorists and road safety officials. The study adopts historical methodology using primary and secondary evidence to establish facts.

Nation-building is a crucial project that requires the services of many actors to achieve. It embodies such elements as national integration, poverty reduction through employment generation, robust economic development through industrialisation, as well as infrastructural revolution through good governance. The actors involved in it have different and very important roles to play. Fortunately, over the years in the Nile River Basin, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) an intergovernmental partnership of Nile Basin countries, aims to ensure that Nile Basin countries work together to unlock the huge potential in order to bring a vast range of benefits to Nile Basin citizens including increased hydropower, food production, improved management of watersheds and better access to water for domestic use, among others. Against this backdrop, the paper asked: what roles did the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) played in the overall project of nation-building in the Nile River Basin? Using Ethiopia as a case of study, this paper discovered that the NBI programs have contributed immensely towards nation building, which generated a swathe of shared benefits, transforming lives in Ethiopia.

Introduction

Nigeria is fraught with diverse levels of life threatening and minor conflicts across the country, which it continues to grapple with. These conflicts include the Boko Haram menace mainly in the north-eastern part of the country, cattle rustling in the north-west, herdsmen and farmers conflicts mainly in the middle belt region, restiveness in the Niger Delta region, and secessionist tendencies in the south east and south west regions. The casualty level and extent of damage caused by these conflicts call for some sort of concern, particularly, among concerned Nigerians. Consequently, debates and discussions at different fora on the possible solutions to these conflicts precipitated numerous suggestions enunciated toward effective combating of violent conflicts in the country.

An overview

One of the most criticised traits of the Nigeria’s political system is that of constitutional age limitation on public offices in the country. The section of the Nigerian law governing the country’s political system (particularly, sections 65, 131(b) and 106(b), and 117 of the constitution) hitherto placed an age restriction against people intending to vie for certain political positions in the country. In other words, for one to be eligible to contest for certain political positions in Nigeria, one is required to attain a specific age. For instance, it was impossible for a 30-year-old person to contest for the post of president, governor or senate in Nigeria before 31 May, 2018 when the ‘Not Too Young to Run’ bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari (Omilana 2018, May 31).