Civil Society Organizations and the Entrenchment of Democracy in the Fourth Republic: An Appraisal

Abstract

Democracy has inherent mechanism for resolving conflict, the provision of
court and tribunals provide an alternative means for resolving conflict in a
democracy. This, in other words can be understood as democratic peace where processes and procedures for seeking redress are imbued in a democracy. With this in mind, democracy cannot work well where democratic principles are not well established. To achieve this objective, several stakeholders of which civil society is a critical part has a role to play. This paper focuses on the need to entrench democratic ethos in Nigeria. The study examines the roles played by civil Society in the entrenchment of democracy in the Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. Using a qualitative method through the extensive use of secondary data, the paper attempts to provide answers to the questions such as: How effective is the civil society organizations in the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria? What are the militating factors that can hinder the achievement of this objective? To
what extent has the body itself imbibed the culture of peace in its approach to fostering democratic ideals? The paper concludes that the availability of the civil society organizations has helped to foster democratic ethos in the country. It however recommends the need to make the group more visible in the rural areas where lessons in democratic ethics are more required, it recommends that the group should seek more independent source of revenue to enhance objectivity and credibility in its advocacy and advocated that the group should be more proactive and not reactive in its dealings.