Assessment of the Challenges of Institution Building in Nigeria Under Fourth Republic

Abstract

Nigeria’s efforts at sustainable development have yielded less than commensurate results over the years. A major hindrance has been policy discontinuity: Frequent changes characterize the development landscape; policies and programs are not pursued to their logical conclusions because they change with every new administration. This instability in policy environment is very often attributable to weak and dysfunctional institutions. Institutions- whether they are economic, political, social, bureaucratic, etc. are stabilizing factors in the development equation.  In Nigeria, experiences have shown that institutions have, owing to their deliberate weakening, failed to ensure meaningful continuity of policies across regimes. Weak institutions are therefore culpable in the country’s development failures. What are the factors responsible for weakening of institutions in Nigeria under fourth Republic? How can Nigeria’s public institutions be strengthened and repositioned to deliver the country’s development objectives on a sustainable basis? What are the hindrances to institution-building in Nigeria under fourth Republic? The goal of this paper is not to proffer solutions to the problem of dysfunctional institutions in Nigeria, but rather to enrich the discourse through analysis of the depth and complexity of the issues involved. The paper identified challenges to institution- building under fourth Republic as elite resistance, conflict of interests, lack of political will and constitutional rigidities. Leadership is also identified as a critical element in the institution-building process. But the emphasis should be on informed leadership -with a vision and the commitment to its pursuit- rather than strong leaders.