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Social Contract In Jean Jacques Rousseau – Implications For Nigerian Democracy
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
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Rousseau prefers to take a middle position on the thoughts of his
predecessors. He presents the problem of social contract as not simply
to find a form of association, which will protect the persons, and goods
of each member. But also to find an association in which each member
will still obey himself and remain as free as before.5 This point
brings out the reason why the peoples’ consent becomes important in
major decisions affecting them. Thus, Rousseau summarises the essence
of the social contract in these words:
Each of us puts his person and
all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general
will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an
indivisible part of the whole.6
The general will he referred to is
the will of the “Sovereignâ€, where the sovereign stands for the total
number of citizens of a given society. Such being the case, the general
will of the sovereign is the single will, which reflects the sum of the
wills of all the individual citizens.
Now, the thoughts espoused by
Rousseau in his social contract have some affinity with the principles
of democracy, especially the use he made of the general will. These
principles of democracy are distinctly shown in the definition of
democracy, given by the Chambers Twenty-first Century Dictionary as ‘a
form of government in which the people govern themselves or elect
representatives to govern them.’7 Obviously democracy means rule by the
people, the common people. A state of society where freedom for the
people, justice and equality of rights and privileges; both political,
social or legal equality are recognised.
Similarly, these principles
of democracy are clearly enshrined in the constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. Hence section 14(1) of the 1999 constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria declares it thus; “The Federal Republic of
Nigeria shall be a state based on the principles of democracy and social
justice.â€8 Further, same section 14(2a) of the 1999 constitution
declares, “Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom
government through this constitution derives all its powers and
authority.â€9 And section 14(2b) has it that “the security and welfare of
the people shall be the primary purpose of government.â€10
However,
the factual experience of the Nigerian democratic practice for three
good republics now, betrays the fact and makes the constitutionalised
principle a huge hoax. The principles of democracy have been completely
distorted and misrepresented. It was as if Franklin Roosevelt had
Nigeria in mind when he talked about people being fed up with a
democracy that breeds unemployment, insecurity, hunger and
hopelessness. Nigerians have continued to wait to no avail for the
dividends of democracy. The present dispensation leaves no light at the
end of the tunnel.
Thus, in this work the researcher hopes to make
some deductions from the social contract theory of Jean Jacques
Rousseau, and apply them to the Nigerian Democratic process. The aim is
to effect a re-direction of our deceptive democratic principles and
engender proper implementation of democracy in all its facets.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
Page 2 of 4
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