POLITICAL ELITES IN NIGERIA AND THE POLITICS OF DEMOCRATIZATION IN LIEU OF DEMOCRATIZATION OF POLITICS: IMPLICATION FOR SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Democratization is seen as the process of institutionalization of the major democratic doctrine as part of everyday culture in a given society. Its basic principles find expression in the channeling of a given society’s behavioral pattern towards democratic ideals; it penetrates all strands of community relations from economy through religion, family life to politics. This study seeks to ascertain the degree to which the Nigeria democracy has affected their national development, using empirical indicators such as poverty rate, unemployment rate, GDP growth rate, civil liberty, political right or freedom. It however, revealed that Nigeria strand of democracy is antithetical to national development arguing that the motive forces of their political elites are in sharp contrast with the end democratic principles seek to accomplish. This study empirically demonstrates how these trends have negatively affected the national development in terms of growth rate in Nigeria, and concludes that the breakdown of the present political structure is looming, since they have ceased to attract the allegiance of the common citizens