The Role of Civic Education in Curbing Election Malpractice in Nigeria
Chapter One
Objectives of the study
The broad objectives of this study, is to investigate the role of civic education in curbing election malpractice in Nigeria. However, the specific objectives are to:-
- To examine the relevance and significance of civic education
- To appraise the nature of electoral malpractices in Nigeria
- To determine role of civic education in curbing electoral malpractices in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter will review relevant literature on the study of civic education in curbing election malpractice in Nigeria in accordance to the stated objectives. Thus, objectives of this research will be fully examined, ranging from the relevance and significance of civic education, the nature of election malpractice in Nigeria, and also to determine role of civic education in curbing electoral malpractices in Nigeria and lastly to look at the possible suggestions to the problem of election malpractice in Nigeria. Similarly, the Marxist conflict theory will be adopted to provide theoretical orientation to the issue under investigation.
The relevance and significance of civic education.
Civic education typically has concentrated on conveying factual knowledge about democratic institutions, processes, and elements of national history. However, there is a growing consensus that citizens also require more diverse civic knowledge and understanding such as controversial issues, intergroup relations, local processes, or community affairs (Alexander, Pinson, & Yonah, 2011; Amadeo, Torney- Purta, Lehmann, Husfeldt, & Nikolova, 2002; Hess, 2009; Levinson, 2012). There is also growing consensus that civic knowledge alone is not enough to foster active and responsible civic engagement. There is a relation between civic knowledge and voting: those who intend to vote tend to have better knowledge (Carnegie Corporation of New York and CIRCLE Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 2003) and knowledge is needed for routes to political participation, monitoring of government actions, and exercising rights and responsibilities (Cox, Jaramillo, & Reimers, 2005). However, an active civil society requires also understanding of concepts and principles, the skills for reflective and responsible action, willingness to engage, and commitment to democratic values (Sherrod, Torney-Purta, & Flanagan, 2010; Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald, & Schulz, 2001). Discrete knowledge becomes more meaningful as it is integrated with conceptual understanding. For example, students may “know” the list of core human rights, but they may not understand what the concept of “rights” actually entails, why they were codified in a particular historical time, or how they relate to specific conceptions of state.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter deals with research methodology, which covers the research design, location of the study, population of the study, sampling technique, sample size, sources of data, method of data collection & methods of data analysis. The design and execution of the study is aimed at capturing the true picture of the role of civic education in curbing election malpractice in Nigeria. But in this case, we will use Abuja as a case study.
Research Design
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Research design is the overall strategy, which the researcher chose to integrate the different component of the study in a coherent and logical way. This research design is of many dimensions, ranging from action research design, case study design, causal design, cross-sectional design, descriptive design, and experimental design among others.
The appropriate research design adopted in this study was descriptive research design, which help to find answers to the questions of who, what, where, and how associated with a research problem
Population of the Study
The population of this study will comprise both males and females residing in the sample area, since election malpractice is an observable phenomenon and plights of electorate who wasted their time, energy and resources to caste their vote in their various respected communities within Nigeria. The eligibility for inclusion into this study is that, the respondent must be an inhabitant of Federal capital territory (FCT) Abuja and must be 18 years and above.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Introduction
This chapter deals with analysis and interpretation of data generated from the field. One hundred and fifty (150) questionnaires were administered by the researcher; however, all the one questionnaires (150) were retrieved successfully. Thus, the analysis and data presentation is based on the retrieved one hundred and fifty (150) questionnaires. Univariate method of analysis using frequency and percentage was used to analyze the quantitative data. In addition, the generated qualitative data through in-depth interviews were analyzed in narrative form so as to complement the data via questionnaires as the principal instrument of quantitative method.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
One of the critical and prominent features of any meaningful democracy accepted all over the world is the conduct of acceptable, credible, free and fair elections. Reason being that, concrete and stable political development as well as electoral system which call forth sustenance of democracy is determined by free and fair election. Not only, is election one of the major elements of electoral process which must be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere, it is the only legitimate way of choosing representatives in any democracy. While electoral results must reflect the wishes of the people. Nigeria’s experience in this regard had since independence been contrary to the above expectation. Obviously, wining at all cost becomes the norm.
All forms of illegal and violent acts to overcome political opponents are let loose on the polity. For a nation’s democratic system to flourish and survive, its citizens must possess require skills values, attitude, manifest same in their daily activities and understand the basic features and principles of a democratic political system, so access same, when their interests are at stake, and must be willing to participate in local and national politics. Citizens can only gain those necessary knowledge, skills, values for stable and effective democracy though civic education.
Hence, this paper is to examine the extent to which civic education can serve as an attitude to electoral malpractices with the main aim of preventing, controlling and reducing or eradicate it.
Human factors such as undue influence of people, vote buying, impersonation and bribery as well as inadequate election materials, closing polling station before time and thuggery are some elements of electoral malpractices (while, 1996) and (Kenya, 2007). Over the period of Nigeria’s existence as independence state, all these, characterized her electoral and political processes and it clearly define electoral malpractice
Conclusion
It is certain that Nigerians desire democracy above any form of authoritarianism, but their perception of democracy and even the way in which it operates are distorted by numerous socio political factors one of which is electoral malpractice. Hence, solutions towards electoral malpractice as a problem in Nigeria democratic system must be sought at the level of political institutions and the level of individual citizens.
At individual level, political office holders should be made accountable to the people they represent; regular forum of interactions should be\ organize between the people and their representatives at the various levels. At the masses level, more political awareness and education is needed to transform the people into democratic citizens, whereby they can stand up for their rights against the government, including demanding for accountability. In view of the above therefore, the needs to embrace civic educational and awareness programmes that could create in them necessary knowledge, skills, ideas right attitude and values that would allow a participatory governance to bring about desired socio-political and economic progress have been isolated. This part has been restated as the basis for national democratic well-being in the nation’s polity and to guide the citizens against misrule in the art of governance. To achieve this, all important objective, civic education continues to be a-must-do programme in the country’s national life.
Recommendations
In view of the position of this research work therefore, the following recommendations are made:
That a broad curriculum for civic education should be developed by educational stakeholders to cater for the identified problems herein.
That government at all levels should embark upon rigorous periodical campaigns on such policies and activities that will enhance participation of majority of the citizens in democratic process by encouraging civic education.
That Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should complement the activities of government in promoting civic knowledge acquisition among the citizenry for better actualization of genuine democracy and overall development national development. The National Orientation Agency should embark on mounting civic education programmes before elections in the country.
A broad curriculum for civic education should be developed by educational stakeholders to include the identified problems herein.
That government at all levels should set out on rigorous periodical campaigns on such policies and activities that will enhance participation of majority of the citizens in democratic process by encouraging civic education.
Both strategies have unique advantages which can be leveraged on by developing countries in combating electoral fraud. However, it is left to the State to adopt the strategy that best address its peculiarities. But for Nigeria as a country, the recommendation is that the government adopt both. Luckily, Nigeria already operates the ABA such that amending existing electoral laws to amplify citizens‘ participation beyond mere voting becomes easy.
Citizens‘ right to hold violators accountable should be recognized and protected. The quest for the conduct of a free and fair election can be achieved if citizens have the opportunity of taking part directly in holding violators accountable within a framework which defines the standard and context for such while the INEC continues to drive the electoral process. Thus, to achieve this, the government should:
Recognize the right to vote by amending the Constitution to reflect electoral rights as a fundamental right; Enact a law or amend the Electoral Act, 2010 to legalize the right to take actions against violators; Set the context and condition on which citizens can institute actions against violators; and Set time frame for which an action can be instituted and determined.
That Civil societies as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should complement the activities of government in promoting civic knowledge acquisition among the citizenry for better actualization of genuine democracy and overall development as well as national development.
The National Orientation Agency should embark on mounting civic education programmes before elections in the country. The government should establish a competent electoral offences tribunal, task with the responsibility of criminal prosecution of electoral offenders and lastly, reorientation of values in our society remains a task that must be done by stakeholders.
References
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- Africa Research Bulletin 2007, ‘Nigeria: Yar’Adua wins’, vol. 44, no. 4, viewed 10
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- Akaeze, A 2011, ‘Beyond Jega’s excuses’, Newswatch 10 December, p. 18. Aluaigba, TM 2002, ‘The irony of democracy: the Nigerian experience’, in SF
- Kamilu (ed), Democracy in Nigeria’s fourth republic: myths, realities, challenges and prospects, Triumph Publishing Company, Kano.
- Aluaigba, TM 2009a, ‘The travails of an emerging democracy: the turbulent 2007 general elections in Nigeria’, Mambayya House Journal of Democratic Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 23-38.
