Nigeria has had varied journey of democratic accountability and federal governance since its transition to a civilian rule in 1999. Most political attention is centered around the presidency and the powerful state governors, while the country's oil wealth generating immense tax revenues make holding political office a lucrative venture. As the Nigerian constitution has been inspired by the US political institutions, comparable issues arise in the two democracies. The single-seat plurality elections favor powerful incumbent parties and facilitates for financial donors to exert influence, while numerous minor parties are barely getting a seat in the National Assembly. At the same time, a new generation of ambitious Nigerians in the federal administration have brought a new dynamic into governance, eager to improve the social contract and make the federation deliver the dividends of democracy.
One of them is Myani Bukar, who shares his personal experiences and assessments of political developments in Nigeria, and we discuss how local government politics could be centered around issues, rather than ethnicity or religion and whether a more proportional electoral system could be a solution to improve representation.
Myani Bukar is a Lawyer, Development Economist and Policy Researcher with extensive experience in legal research, institutional capacity building and policy analysis. He is a National Program Director of the UK funded PERL-LEAP programme, to promote public sector accountability and previously served as a Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Legal Matters. He is also an Associate Researcher of the Overseas Development Institute, and a Member of the Advisory Board at Policy Vault.
Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/nigeria-a-federation-mediating-its-democracy/
Follow Myani Bukar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MallamMB or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myani-bukar-4a344b/
Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Myani Bukar.