POLITICAL ELITES AND DEVELOPMENT CRISIS IN NIGERIA.
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POLITICAL ELITES AND DEVELOPMENT CRISIS IN NIGERIA.
CHAPITRE ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The development crisis is currently the most critical problem confronting Nigeria and Africa as a whole. This is because, despite the presence of vast material and human resources, the country has remained relatively underdeveloped.
Several decades after colonialism ended, most parts of Africa, including Nigeria, are still grappling with issues such as high poverty, a lack of basic infrastructure in all sectors of the economy, unemployment, a high mortality rate, political instability, and insecurity of lives and property.
According to the United Nations Human Development Report (2005), Nigeria, the most populous African country, ranked 158 out of 177 countries in the human development index, 165 in life expectancy at birth, 121 in combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrolment, and 155 in GDP per capital.
Suberu (2007) recently stated that “it has earned around US$500 billion in oil revenues since the 1970s, yet remains mired in poverty, unemployment, a burgeoning domestic debt, infrastructural squalor, abysmal health and educational services, and attendant social frustration and unrest.”
The argument on how to tackle Nigeria’s development dilemma arose against the backdrop of the country’s development crisis. The bulk of stakeholders who can support state development and the resolution of any development crisis are political elites. The political elite, according to Wikipedia (2015), is a small group of people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth or political power.
In general, political elite refers to the most powerful people. It can also be defined as a subset of a group that is better than the rest in terms of skill or traits, or has more privilege than the rest.
A society’s political elite are the most powerful and prestigious stratum. The elite are individuals who are recognised as great leaders in their respective fields. Thus, there are elites in politics, religion, science, business, and the arts.
Ekeh (1983) defines elite as “small minorities who play a disproportionately influential role in societal affairs in specific fields.” He went on to define political elite as decision-makers whose influence is unchecked by any other entity in society.
According to Nnoli (1981), the political elite are individuals who wield power over the fate of society due to their superiority. Members of a political elite group wield significant power in defining the values and attitudes of their social group. According to Falola (2005), they are people who make major decisions,
are able to realise their will even when others oppose, and have the most of what there is to have-money, power, and prestige. However, the term does not refer to a single individual, but rather to a group, a collection of people,
no matter how little. This distinguishable collectivity possesses particular characteristics and talents that confer not just a certain superiority but also the ability to make decisions and influence others.
The phrase political elite can also refer to a group of high-level decision-makers in political culture or a specific political organisation that monopolises political power, dictates significant political decisions, and holds all essential positions of political leadership.
The primary responsibility of the political elite to the general people is to rebuild society by mobilising and channelling available resources and political energy.
To accomplish material advancement, they are attacking economic backwardness through changes in institutions and mindsets. For them, the political party or the governmental apparatus is the essential instrument of modernization. However, the elite class in Nigeria appears to have assumed an exceptional dimension of practical functions in a development context.
An examination of current events in Nigeria demonstrates that the country’s political ruling class has no persistent and significant ties to its national exploit. Despite the fact that American political scientists John Purcell (1974) observed that powerful initiatives from within political elite groups are critical for national development (Ojo, 2006),
the formation and conduct of Nigeria’s political elite group have not been translated into a source of national development. However, the researcher aims to discover the relationship between Nigeria’s political elites and the country’s development difficulties.
The Southern Ijaw political elite are being studied directly in this research work in a Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the northern town of Oporoma (or Osokoma), at 4°48′17′′N 6°04′44′′E. On the Bight of Benin, the area has a coastline of around 60 kilometres.
After Toro Local Government in Bauchi State, it is Nigeria’s second largest Local Government (Landscape). Izon refers to both the people and the language. It is home to the Niger Delta University (NDU) and the state airport in Amassoma, as well as the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe in Ekowe, which is also the home of Kolu United FC of Koluama II.
Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (DSP), the first democratic governor, and Mr C.B Ingibina, the former deputy surveyor general/director for urban development in Bayelsa state capital, are both from the Southern Ijaw LGA. It has a total size of 2,682 km2 and a population of 319,413 people according to the 2006 census (Wikipedia, 2015).
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Almond (1960) coined the phrase ‘power elite’ to refer to the political elite that wields power and rules the country. They have been referred to as the ‘governing elite’ by Blanda (2001), the ‘ruling class’ by Marx, the’veto group’ by Riesman, and the ‘top leaders’ by Floyd Hunter.
The Nigerian political elite had little interest in considering the good use of elite advantage as a strategic tool for engineering national progress. Nigeria has realised very little of its potentials due to political elites’ ineffective mobilisation of these potentials.
People (masses) nowadays have inadequate access to education, clean drinking water, and proper medical care. Various dangerous diseases are claimed to be afflicting millions of Nigerians.
Poor income and unemployment are common, as are street trading by children and risky reproductive habits. However, the researcher will examine the role of political elites in Nigeria’s development issues (Ake, 1995).
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The basic goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between political elites and Nigeria’s development crisis, while the specific goals are as follows:
1. To investigate the relationship between Nigeria’s political elites and the development crisis.
2. To identify Nigeria’s developmental issues and crises.
3. Investigate the role of Nigerian political elites in national growth.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the relationship between Nigeria’s political elites and the development crisis?
2. What are Nigeria’s developmental issues and crises?
3. What responsibilities do Nigeria’s political elites play in the national development process?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
HO: In Nigeria, there is no major relationship between political elites and the development crisis.
HA: There is a strong link between Nigeria’s political elites and the country’s development crisis.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are thought to be the study’s significances:
1. This study will serve as a beneficial guide for Nigeria’s political elite in understanding their roles and actively participating in the process of national development through the use of political power as a development facilitation instrument.
2. This research will educate the general public on how the political influence of a small number of people in society can be leveraged to address the society’s developmental difficulties.
3. This research will contribute to the body of knowledge on Nigeria’s political elite and development crises, forming the empirical literature for future research in the field.
1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This research on political elites and development crises in Nigeria will look at the relationship between political elites and the development process in Nigeria. It will also investigate the role of political power brokers in the facilitation of development projects in Nigeria.
STUDY LIMITATIONS
Financial constraint- A lack of funds tends to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection procedure (internet, questionnaire, and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this investigation alongside other academic activities. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Political elite- a small group of people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth or political power. In general, political elite refers to the most powerful individuals inside the political apparatus.
The act or process of expanding or causing anything to develop, become larger, or more sophisticated.
Infrastructure- the fundamental physical and organisational structures and facilities (for example, buildings, roads, and power supply) required for the operation of a society or industry.
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