The concept of rule of law and the notion of justice in the survival of the Nigerian State

Abstract

Upholding the rule of law and adherence to the principles of justice play an important role in the economic and social development of a Nation, this is because rule of law and justice to all guarantee peace, security and stability. For a Nation to be ranked among the committee of civilized and developed Nations, rule of law and principles of justice must be upheld. Using the doctrinal methodology, this work assessed Nigerian State from the perspective of her adherence to the rule of law and upliftment of justice. This work reaffirms that for Nigeria as a State to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 16, will depend on her commitment to the notion of the ideal character of the rule of law as a guiding principle for organizing life in society and access to justice as the essential instrument for the protection of human right. The work concluded that upholding law and order, providing predictable and efficient judgments through the institutional framework and attributes believed necessary to actuate the rule of law such as well trained law enforcement officers, functional courts, independent judiciary, comprehensive law and equipped correctional facilities and homes are the things upon which the Nigerian state can continue, prosper and survive.

Development albatross: a historical analysis of Nigeria’s economic development planning experience, 1960 – 2015

“…Scholars are also of the opinion that most of the programmes and projects had failed to deliver the expected economic prosperity and sustainable growth. Thus, the premise for a new approach to development planning finally seemed to have been laid (Ayodele, 2013).…”

“…In fact, one fundamental difference between the perspective plans (1997-2010) and the Vision 2010 document was that while the former placed emphasis on the role of government in achieving identified objectives, the latter projected the private sector as the engine of economic growth. Similarly, while the perspective plans tended to be inward looking in their approach to development, Vision 2010 appeared to be more concerned with Nigeria's global positioning and international competitiveness (Ayodele et al, 2013).…”

“…This may not be unconnected with the country's years of maladministration, erratic and distorted policies, large scale corruption and uncontrolled rent seeking behaviours mainly by public officials. Nigeria's poor economic position, which is depicted by high incidences of poverty and unemployment rates, poor/collapsed infrastructure and social amenities, wrong values and poor attitudinal practices, as well as widespread insecurity and crime (Ayodele et al, 2013), have combined to make life and living unimaginable for its citizens. Perhaps, the situation might have been different, had the country's leaders harnessed its resources by embracing genuine long-term economic planning encapsulated in vision statements.…”

“…The first group are scholars that have concentrated mainly on its history (Amah, 2014;Iheanacho, 2008;Ibietan and Ekhosuehi, 2013;Osabouhien et al, 2012;Bashiru et al, 2006). In the second group are commentators, who have focused on specific plans (Eneh, 2011;Asaju and Yarie, 2013;Waziri and Bala, 2014;Ayodele et al, 2013;Nwagbara, 2011;Ukah, 2014;Mensah, 1993;Ukah, 2007), while the last group comprises of scholars that have concentrated on the reasons for the perceived failure of some of these plans (Sanusi, 2012;Ojo, 2012). The present effort however posits that at the base of Nigeria's poor development experience is its consistent recourse to short and medium-term economic planning models, often devoid of proper coordination and in most cases hardly implemented.…”