Moral Philosophy as the Core of Good Governance in Nigeria’s Democracy
Abstract
The need for good governance is at the core of every democracy. As Nigeria claims to be practicing democratic government, it is expected that good governance will be the core of its political life. Developed countries are not only democratic but also place a high premium on good governance at the center of governmental affairs which seems to be absent in developing countries. Nigeria joined the league of democratic countries in 1999 and this young democracy still has many hurdles to cross especially in the area of good governance. Democracy was first conceived in the 5th century B.C. by the Socratic Philosophers to meet the need for people to get good representation in the decision-making process of their state and country. The paper holds that there is an urgent need to examine the rightness and wrongness of human actions to be able to address the question of good governance, especially in a country like Nigeria in which citizens and different ethnic groups agitate for marginalization and lack of transparency and accountability in the activities of government. It calls for the role of Moral Philosophy, as it introduces the need for Moral education for true democracy in Nigeria. This paper attempts to state the nexus between moral philosophy and good governance and the relevance of moral philosophy to democracy in Nigeria. It states that good governance is not only needed for sustainable development in this 21st Century but also possible in Nigeria, if Philosophy is given its rightful place in governance.
Keywords: Philosophy; Moral Philosophy; Good Governance; Democracy
Metadata Record
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