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The Influence Of Godfatherism In Nigeria Politics In The Fourth Republic (the Role Of Education)
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1. Background of the Study
The concept
of godfatherism is firmly establishing itself as a guiding principle in
contemporary Nigeria politics. Godfathers are generally defined as men
who have the power personally to determine both who gets nominated to
contest elections and who wins in the election.
In the past, Nigerian
society had fewer criminals that the judicial systems attempted to
contend with in recent times, our judicial systems cannot contend with
such because Nigerian society is building criminals at rapid pales in
the late 20th and early 21st centuries through democratization and
militarization practices, when the governing systems failed to deliver
the other takes over. In democracy one way that regime is breeding
criminals is through godfather’s, godfatherims is old fashion enterprise
that circulates around nation with different names or headings for
centuries. Godfathers in Nigeria is a topic that has not been given
enough attention until recent coup that exposed Chief Chris Uba,
estranged political Godfather of Chief Dr. Chris Ngige among political
criminals that is behind elections or selection of most of our state
governors and other law makers. Apparently it appears majority of our
state governors are financed by such caliber of person and for those
financed by their godfathers get into offices now have huge power in
respective states. They assigned civil services and or political
positions to who are not of the people but people of the privates.
The
role of education in politics cannot be over emphasized. To be
effective, civil education must be realistic, it must address the
central truth about political life. The American Political Science
Association (A.P.S.A) recently formed a task force on Civil Education.
Its statement of purpose calls for more realistic teaching about the
nature of political life and a better understanding of “the complex
elements of the art of the possibleâ€. The A.P.S.A. reports faults
existing civil education because all too often it seems unable to
counter the belief that in politics, one either wins or loses, and to
win; means getting everything at once, now. The sense that politics can
always bring another chance to be heard to persuade and perhaps to gain
part of what one wants, is lost, political education today seems unable
to teach the civil engagement the slow patient building of first
coalitions and then majorities can generate social change (Carter &
Elshtan, 1997).
A message of importance therefore is not politics
need not, indeed must not, be a zero, sum game. The idea that “winner
takes all†has no place in a democracy because if losers lose all they
will opt out of the democratic game. Sharing is essential in a
democratic society, the sharing of power, of resources and of
responsibilities. Those skills and the will or necessary trait of
private and public characters are the products of a good civil election.
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