Ethics and the Practice of Democracy in Nigeria

Democracy in recent times seems to be a panacea for bad governance. It is widely accepted around the globe. In Nigeria, democracy has become the hallmark for development thinkers. When democracy was re-introduced in Nigeria in 1999, every Nigerian was happy that salvation has come to Nigeria. The operators had their different plan. They divide the theory from the practice of democracy. It is common to hear political office holders openly declare that Nigeria is guided by the Rule of Law, transparency and popular participation in governance,but their actions show that corruption, oppression, and various forms of injustice are to be highly rewarded. They have failed to blend ethics with the practice of democracy in any part of the country. This is because Nigerians have considered the principles of democracy as being separated from ethical values in Nigeria. In fact, Nigerian politicians who claim to be operating democratic style of governance do not reflect these democratic values in their actions and words. This is why integrity and development are inadequate in Nigeria. In order to make Nigeria great again, democracy must be practised using ethical values as controls.