Impact of Political Instability on the Socio-Economic Development of Nigeria

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Political stability according to David Sanders is the discontinuity of a system or the frequency of unstable of unstable events in a political system (sanders 1981:49).Political instability has become a common place in Nigeria’s socio-economic and political society due to the heterogeneous background in which she is composed of. This instability most often arises from the interaction among members of the society of different; ethnicity political, cultural and religious affiliation to mention but these few. This interaction at times leads to misunderstanding, disagreement and confrontation.

According to professor Ango Abdusalahi (paper presented at the 50TH anniversary of Sam Nda-Isaiah, publishers of leadership Newspaper) “tribalism, ethnicity and sectionalism plays the most part of Nigeria’s political instability” most of the military intervention experienced in Nigeria from January 15th 1960 to 1998 where inspired by tribal and ethnic tendencies inherent in the country’s social diversity in which Kogi state is a component. The civil war of 1967 to 1970 the creation of states and response to continuing pressure arising from tribal and ethnic affiliations and loyalties. The constitution of the country has been several times since independence in 1960 till date to address political instability arising from tribalism, ethnicity sectional sentiments.

Against the background , one is not surprised that heterogeneous, society like Kogi state that has many ethnic diversions, cleavages and attachment to ethnic tribal and sectional feelings coupled with the issue of economic mismanagement, bad political leader and socially disoriented nation could be faced with such gruesome and inhuman plague that has been witnessed since independence. It is also surprising as it is funny that this unending political instability that thrived during colonial era still thrives in Nigeria after her independence as Nigeria colonial history and heritage unfortunately provides an atmosphere that is conducive for breeding of political instability.

Having studied the instability in Nigeria, Mathew Hassan cited Basic Davidson in his study of crisis surrounding the African states of which Nigeria is a member. He came to a sobering conclusion that colonial Africans had sowed seeds that would make the project of states craft in Africa a long, tiresome, oppressive exercise in frustration, that leading her to refer to it as a cures (Mathew 2000:19).

Many would argue that the post colonial projects was bound to fail due to its inherent  use of legitimacy and literal contractions which existed with the system inherited by the Nigeria elites. This inherited system has aggravated the country on the dependence on foreign ideas and foreign technologies. The overall consequence is that the country has virtually lost control of the commanding height of her economy. That is why Nigeria in which Kogi state is a part of its paradoxically rich and poor at the same time. Many factors has been observed by many scholars to be responsible for Nigeria political instability such as: arrest of charismatic leaders e.g. chief Obafemi Awolowo, M.K.O Abiola etc. issues of Nigeria and salaries, rigging of election, military coup etc all these factors calls for people for peoples protest by way of rioting, which may result to indefinite strike as seen in the unending strike in the educational section and crisis. All these invariably disintegrated the socio- economic system of the country.

S.E Okoh cited plato and Aristotle on the need for state formation. They both said:

”State formation is to enable the citizens to achieve happiness and good life. This interpreted in our modern day means that this is the responsibility of government to help improve the socio-economic welfare of its citizens and quality of life of its people” (Okoh 1987:39)

However this research work is geared towards explaining Impact of  of political instability on the socio economic development of Nigeria( A case study  of Kogi state).