Participatory Governance: How Nigeria Can Achieve Development Through Citizens Participation in Policymaking

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ABSTRACT:

Since the abrupt interruption of the indigenous systems of governance, it can be argued that the superior model of governance introduced by the colonialists has failed to achieve sustainable evidence of good governance for the citizens of Nigeria. This colonial tendency was passed on to the post-independence era even to the present day democratic federal system of government. Governance is important in determining institutional norms and structures; it provides the guide to how countries tackle economic growth and developmental challenges. It also helps to shape social, cultural, and political decision-making processes at all levels of government. Data for this study was gathered by reviewing various scholarly works on the governance systems as has been applied in Nigeria in the past, to provide a high-level analysis of the impact of the current governance dynamics on the country’s socio-economic growth, the challenges with achieving resilient governance through citizens inclusiveness in the policymaking process, the failure in the capacity to build inclusive political and economic institutions through citizens consultative forums to help policymakers understand context-specific problems, and proffer pragmatic ways that Nigeria can use to solve these problems using the problem-driven iterative approach-PDIA which encourages the use of local knowledge for local solutions.

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