DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Summary/Abstract: As a theory that sets some basic principles according to which a good government, whateverits form, must be run, democracy offers a good prospect for achieving national development ofespecially heterogeneous societies. The common feature of democratic governance is its emphasison improving the socio-economic welfare of the people and this is synonymous with theidea of national development. All over the world, democracy is prioritized because it is assumedto have the magic wand to effectively deal with inter and intragroup conflicts arisingfrom the democratic method. But the Nigerian experience with democracy is not very pleasant.While ethnoreligious violence is rife in the politics, the economy remains on its kneel withabject poverty as a recurring decimal among the people. The popular expectations, that democracywill resolve all these challenges have largely been unattained. Therefore, it is against thisbackdrop, that this study explored the effect of democracy on national development in Nigeria’sFourth Republic. A descriptive method was adopted and cross-sectional data were collected across the twenty-five Local Government Areas in Delta State with the aid of a structuredquestionnaire. Non- probabilistic sampling techniques comprising of purposeful andconvenience techniques were used to elicit information via questionnaire from 400 respondents.Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation and regression analysis.The result of the study revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship betweendemocracy and national development in Nigeria’s fourth republic. Thus, the study recommendsamong others that the political leaders should adhere to the basic tenets of democracyand constitutionalism to promote good governance and foster national development.

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