NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS MODULE 1 INTRODUCTION TO NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Описание: Module Overview:
1. Conceptualizing Government and Politics in the Nigerian Context
To understand Nigerian Government and Politics, one must begin by unpacking the foundational concepts of “government” and “politics.”
Government refers to the machinery or system through which authority is exercised over a defined population within a state. It includes institutions like the executive, legislature, judiciary, bureaucracy, and security agencies.


Politics, on the other hand, is the art and process of governance, negotiation, consensus-building, conflict resolution, and resource allocation among competing interests and groups.


In the Nigerian context, both concepts are deeply affected by the country's colonial history, ethnic heterogeneity, and post-independence political evolution.
2. The Nature and Characteristics of Nigerian Government
The Nigerian government is a federal presidential system, meaning that power is divided between the central (federal) government and 36 states, with an elected president as head of the executive arm.
Characteristics include:
Tripartite separation of powers


Multiplicity of institutions at federal, state, and local levels


Democratic representation (in theory), though often marred by electoral irregularities


The influence of ethnic and regional politics on government formation and decisions


A written constitution (1999) that outlines the framework of governance