POLITICAL CULTURE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR ETINAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Every country has a political culture a set of widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the ways that politics and economic life ought to be carried out. The political culture defines the relationship of citizens to government, to one another, and to the economy.
A good understanding of a country’s political culture can help one make sense of the way a country’s government is set up, as well as political decisions its leaders make.
Recently, the issue of political culture and good governance have gained universal currency, as nations and international institutions seeks appropriate mechanism to enhance the role of government by making it more transparent, accountable, responsive and responsible to the constituencies, ands also ensures rule of law.
In the community of nations, governance is considered “good” to the degree in which a country’s institutions and processes are transparent. Its institutions refers to such bodies as parliament and its various ministries. Its processes include such key activities as elections and legal procedures, which must be seem to be free of corrupt practices and be accountable to the people.
A country’s success in achieving the above standard has become a key measure of its political culture (i.e. the extent to which it has developed). This is owing to the fact that political culture forms an important link between the events of politics and the behaviour of individuals in reaction to those events, Ikpe, (2010). For, although the political behaviour of individuals and groups is of course affected by acts of government officials, wars, elections and the likes, it is even affected by the meaning that are assigned those events.
Good governance would become a mirage if the political culture of the people is not change. This is because if there is no mature or developed political culture, the government would appear incapable to provide good governance which it is saddled with. Why this could be so is that the much needed support from the citizens which any government regime require to discharge its responsibilities would be lacking.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Recently, there have been calls in many quarters of a need for government to develop or reorient its political culture as a pathway for the much desired good governance.
Famous among the advocates of this new trends are, the United Nations Organisation (UNO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank. As a matter of fact, these organisation have now make good governance as one of the conditionalities which must be fulfilled before granting loans and giving aids to countries with poor record on governance, Natufe, (2006).
Coming home to Nigeria, the President Goodluck Jonathan is making it as his administration primary objective to provide good governance to Nigerians (THISDAY LIVE, 11, May 2012). This perhaps may be as a response to calls from different part of the country for government to fixed the general deteriorating conditions in the country which has given rise to political, social, economic, cultural and religious quagmire, in which analysts have attributed to low political culture and bad governance.
What is not every obvious is the reason why these international organisation and many world governments, Nigeria inclusive, are now preaching the gospel of political culture and good governance. Or is it that the existing political culture in Nigeria is low? Or the practice of governance is bad?
These questions among other things have no doubt given rise to this research work as it seeking to examine the concept, in other to unravel the rationale behind it and elaborate on its implications for Etinan Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
This research work had three cardinal purposes, which are:
- To investigate the people’s willingness to attract government projects to the area.
- To determined the level of the people’s attachment to their elected representatives
- To determine the people’s knowledge of governmental programmes around them.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were put forward to guide the course of this study.
- How willing are the people to attract government projects to the area?
- What is the level of people’s attachment to their elected representatives
- What is the level of the people’s knowledge of governmental programmes around them?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
- There is no significant relationship between the people’s willingness to attract government projects and good governance.
- There is no significant relationship between the level of people’s attachment to elected representatives and good governance.
- There is no significant relationship between the people’s knowledge of governmental programmes and good governance.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The researcher is imbued with much enthusiasm that the findings of this research work would have the following significance:
It would contribute towards the development of political culture of Etinan people in particular and Nigeria at large. Make a case for government to provide good governance to the people so as to avoid political, economic, social and religious imbroglios which characterized bad governance. Finally, it would contribute immensely to knowledge by expanding the literature and information base on political culture and good governance.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
This study analyses political culture and good governance in Nigerian and examines its implication for Etinan Local Government Area specially, the study was delimited to:
- People’s willingness to attract government projects.
- People’s attachment to political elected representatives
- The level of people’s knowledge of governmental programmes around them.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Operational definition of terms presents simple and concise definitions of terms as they are being used in the context of this study.
- Universal Currency: An idea or concept used or accepted by a lot of people.
- Constituencies: An electoral district where the people who live in and vote in the particular district.
- Election: A process where people officially choose representatives or decide something by voting.
- Political Culture: Set of attitude, belief and sentiment held by the people about the government.
- Political Behaviour: The pattern of behaviour that affects or intend to affect decision outcome of government.
- Good Governance: A high quality and acceptable standard of governance.
- Rule of Law: A strong legal framework which government adhere to in the provision of services as contained in the constitution.
