The Young League Forum

DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT       According to the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics, the term democratic deficit “denotes a perceived deficiency in the way a particular political arrangement works in practice against a benchmark as to how it is supposed to work in theory”.  This occurs when institution or organization or governments failed to live up to expectation in their administrations or in the management of the state.

                Merits or Advantages of Democracy      Democracy as a form of government has some invaluable merits that are rarely find in other forms of government. That is why democracy has remained the best form of government and that is why it flourishes in different parts of the world. Some describe it as the best thing that can happen to humanity. While some scholars and philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and other autocratic rulers described democracy as bad and corrupt form of government. They argued vehemently and logically that democracy is not the best form of government due to its numerous demerits or shortcomings which need not to be practiced. Some of the Advantages of Democracy are: 1.Democracy encourages equality in society 2.It guarantees accountability among rulers and ruled 3.It also guarantees and provides for the common welfare of the citizens. 4.It is based o...

Types of Democracy There are two main types of democracy. These are: 1 .Direct Democracy : This is the type of democracy where all eligible citizens are allowed to participate in decision-making directly without electing their representatives. Direct democracy is anchored on the majority representation. It is the type of democracy that was practiced in the ancient Igbo traditional society and that of Greek city-state of Athens. 2 .Indirect Democracy : Another name for indirect democracy is representative democracy or modern democracy. Under this type, all qualified citizens elect their representatives into the parliament or other government positions who will make decisions on their behalf. In other words, it means that citizens are indirectly involved in decision making through their representatives unlike direct democracy where they (citizens) participate in the decision making directly. Representative democracy unlike direct democracy, reduced people to mere voters or electoral...

Origin of Democracy GREEK:  Democratic system of government originated from ancient Greek city-state of Athens around 550BC. History has it that Athens was the first recorded democratic city-state in the world. Athens is a small Greek city-state where all qualified citizens (excluding slaves) were convened to take final decision on the issues or problems that are confronting them collectively. Athenians’ democracy is based on direct representative.  It is because of this democratic nature of Athens that made Aristotle to postulate that man by nature is a political animal due to the gregarious nature of democracy in Greek polis (city-state). IGBO: Before colonialism the Igbos were democratic and republican by nature. Igbo region practiced decentralized system of government and direct democracy more than that of Athenians, in which powers and authorities that exist in the region were decentralized or shared to all different political segments. Political powers and position...

Origin of Democracy GREEK:  Democratic system of government originated from ancient Greek city-state of Athens around 550BC. History has it that Athens was the first recorded democratic city-state in the world. Athens is a small Greek city-state where all qualified citizens (excluding slaves) were convened to take final decision on the issues or problems that are confronting them collectively. Athenians’ democracy is based on direct representative.  It is because of this democratic nature of Athens that made Aristotle to postulate that man by nature is a political animal due to the gregarious nature of democracy in Greek polis (city-state). IGBO: Before colonialism the Igbos were democratic and republican by nature. Igbo region practiced decentralized system of government and direct democracy more than that of Athenians, in which powers and authorities that exist in the region were decentralized or shared to all different political segments. Political powers and posi...

First Military Rule (1966-1979) The first military coup d’état in Nigeria occurred in 1966 which overthrew the government of Prime Minister Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and President Nnamdi Azikiwe. The coup was led by Major Kaduna Nzeogwu . After the coup Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi became the Head of state and the Federal Military Government of Nigeria. On 29 July 1966 Ironsi was overthrew and murdered six months in his regime. Ironsi was succeeded by General Yakubu Gowon , as the head of state. He established a Supreme Military Council. Gowon held power for 9 years until when he was overthrown in a place coup in July, 1975. General Murtala Mohammed succeeded Gowon and the Head of State. his span was cut short, in February 1976, Mohammed was assassinated by Buka Suka Dimka. OlusẹgunỌbasanjọ succeeded Mohammed as head of state. it was Obasanjo that handed power to the elected civilian government of Shehu Shagari/Alex Ekwume. The inauguration...

DEMOCRACY     The word “democracy” comes from the Greek words (“demos” meaning people and “Kratos” meaning power) which literally means “rule of the people.” Roskin et al (1988: 66) aptly stated that “within the entire vocabulary of political science, there is probably no single word which has been given more meanings than democracy.” They further assert that democracy today is “a political system which supplies regular constitutional opportunities for changing the governing officials, and a social mechanism which permits the largest possible part of the population to influence major decisions by choosing among contenders for political office” (Roskin et al 1988: 67). Shively in his liberalistic perspective view democracy as “a state in which all fully qualified citizens vote at regular intervals to choose, from among alternative candidates, the people who will be in charge of setting the stat...

COUP D’ ÉTAT      According to Shively (2005: 187), “the most dramatic alternative to democratic government is military government, in which a group of officers use their troops to take over the governmental apparatus and run it themselves.” Andrew Heywood in his major work, Politics asked thus: when does the military seize power? This occurs when successful coup d’état happens, he answered.       Military coup has been defined by many scholars and analysts in different ways although, the meaning remains the same. Heywood (2007; 411) views it as “a sudden and forcible seizure of government power through illegal and unconstitutional action.” It can be defined as an illegal or unconstitutional means of overthrowing existing government by a section of the armed forces. Ugwuanyi (2008:37) views military coup as “illegal, forceful and often violent change of government by the military....

>Principal questions one needs to ask on this issue are: What is a failed state? What can make a state to become a failed one? Can a state change from failed one to successful or stable one? Is there any difference between a failed state and a collapsed state? How can we know a failed state? These are questions people often ask whenever the concept of a failed state is mentioned. Therefore, a failed state is a state or country that has failed in its primary responsibilities as a sovereign entity. The primary responsibilities of any state are: 1. To defend her sovereignty or definite entity. 2. To protect life and property of its citizens. 3. To efficiently allocate the available resources. 4. Provide social services to its citizens. 5. Create job opportunity. 6. Promote economic growth and development.      Hence, if any state either by omission or commission failed to carry out its core responsibilities to some extent, there shall be no need for ...

How to Avoid Flatterers Men are so happily absorbed in their own affairs and indulge in such self-deception that it is difficult for them not to befall victim to this plague; and some efforts to protect oneself from flatterers involve the risk of becoming despised. This is because the only way to safeguard yourself against flatterers is by letting people understanding that you are not offended by the truth; but if everyone can speak the truth to you then you lose respect. So a shrewd Prince should adopt a middle way, choosing wise men for his government and allowing only those the freedom to speak the truth to him, and then only concerning matters on which he asks their opinion, and nothing else. But he should also question them thoroughly and listen to what they say; then he should make up his own mind by himself. And his attitude toward his councils and towards each one of his advisers should be such that they will recognize that the more freely they speak out the more acceptabl...

3 Elements of fraud are: 1. Opportunity 2. Pressure 3. Rationalization

POLITICAL PARTIES, ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND PROCESSE   POLITICAL PARTIES The People's Republic of China (PRC) is basically a one-party state, having the Communist Party of China (CPC) as the only party in control of the central government. The political party system China has adopted is multi-party co-operation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, of which the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is an important institution to conduct political consultations and democratic supervision, and organize its member parties, organizations and personages from various ethnic groups and walks of life to discuss and manage state affairs. This system is different from both the two-party or multi-party competition systems of Western countries and the one-party system practiced in some other countries. Under China's multi-party co-operation system, there are the CPC and eight other political parties. The eight democrati...

The People's Republic of China operates a unitary semi-presidential communist republican system of government, with a one-party system. Administrative Divisions According to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, the country’s administrative units are currently based on a three-tier system divided into province, county and township. These levels are further into autonomous regions, municipalities, prefectures, administrative regions, towns and villages. Political Divisions The central government of the People's Republic of China is divided among several state organs: • the legislative branch, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee; • the presidency, including the President and the Vice-President; • the executive branch, the State Council (constitutionally synonymous with the "Central People's Government"), whose Premier is the head of government; • the milit...

THE NIGERIAN COUNCIL     Following the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914, Lord Lugard who became the governor-general established the Nigerian Council as a legislative and advisory body. The council was made up of 36 members. The function of the council was to advise the governor on important public issues. The council has no power to implement or force its resolutions without the approval of the governor general. THE CLIFFORD CONSTITUTION OF 1922 /p>       The Clifford constitution of 1922 abolished the Nigerian Council and established a new legislative council in Nigeria. The constitution introduced “elective principle” in Nigeria in 1922. The introduction of elective principle offered Nigerians opportunity to participate in electing their representatives at the council. As a result of the introduction, four (4) Nigerians were elected into the new legislative council. Out of four (4) elected, three ...

      This is a law that deals with crime and criminalities. Criminal law contains “lists of specific forms of human conduct which has been outlawed by political authority which applies uniformity to all persons living under the political authority and which is enforced by punishment administered by the state” (Sutherland and Cressey as quoted in Igbo,E.U.M 2007:16). According to Shively (2005), in such cases, the state [through her prosecutor] is the party that brings the case, and the person charged is the “defendant.”      Besides, crime means any act or action of an individual that violates the provisions of criminal law. From the above definition of crime, one can only call a person a criminal, if he/she has violated criminal law and has been found guilty by a court of law. 

     Crime is any criminal offence committed by a person or group either directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly that is punishable under criminal law. Igbo, E.U.M. (2007:10), also defines crime as “any act or conduct of an individual or group which violates the criminal law.” He went further to say that “if the act or conduct does not violate the criminal law of society, then that act or conduct does not constitute a crime”. Similarly, Eneh-Onyeji (2011:39), rightly opined that “a crime (or an offence), is an act or omission punishable by the state”.      Moreover, one should note that before any act or conduct of individuals can be defined as a crime the following two conditions must be fulfilled or stand obvious: 1. The conduct or act must be prohibited by the Criminal law  2. The “mens rea “ (guilty mind or mental element) must correspond with “actu...

     According to Shively (2005: 187), “the most dramatic alternative to democratic government is military government, in which a group of officers use their troops to take over the governmental apparatus and run it themselves.” Andrew Heywood in his major work, Politics asked thus: when does the military seize power? This occurs when successful coup d’ état happens, he answered.       Military coup has been defined by many scholars and analysts in different ways although, the meaning remains the same. Heywood (2007; 411) views it as “a sudden and forcible seizure of government power through illegal and unconstitutional action.” It can be defined as an illegal or unconstitutional means of overthrowing existing government by a section of the armed forces. Ugwuanyi (2008:37) views military coup as “illegal, forceful and often violent change of government by the military.”   ...

European Union

THE CLIFFORD CONSTITUTION OF 1922       The Clifford constitution of 1922 abolished the Nigerian Council and established a new legislative council in Nigeria. The constitution introduced “elective principle” in Nigeria in 1922. The introduction of elective principle offered Nigerians opportunity to participate in electing their representatives at the council. As a result of the introduction, four (4) Nigerians were elected into the new legislative council. Out of four (4) elected, three (3) represented Lagos and one represented Calabar. The council as a whole was composed of 46 members.      Moreover, as a result of the introduction of elective principle, the first political party was formed in Nigeria. The party was Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), which was formed in 1923 by Sir Herbert Macaulay. Highlights of Clifford Constitution of 1922 1. The constitution established new legislative co...

Eze Andrew Oforma, Andrew Oforma Eze.

School of Oformatism

Sam Loco and his son discussing on why they are poor.

School of Oformatism

Money... On my mind

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY        This is a body that is made up of intellectuals, constitutional lawyers or jurists etc., composed for the purpose of ratifying a draft constitution by the constitutional draft committee. Constitutional draft committee on the other hand is a body that drafts new constitution for a country. The primary functions of the Constituent Assembly are: to examine and ratify the primary function of the constitutional draft committee which is to draft new constitution for a state.

CONSTITUTIONALISM      We should note that one thing is for a country to have a constitution and another thing is to have constitutionalism. The principle of constitutionalism states that everybody , both the ruler (government) and the ruled (subjects) should abide by the provisions of the constitution. It means that nobody is above the law. The principle of constitutionalism is anchored on the rule of law that everybody is equal and subject before the law.      Shively (2005) did an elaborate research on the tenets constitutionalism. He started in his logical analysis by posing the following questions: given that each state has a constitution, how faithful is a state to its constitution? That is, how fully do the leaders honour the rules of politics in the state? He defined constitutionalism as “the doctrine that states that, states should be faithful to their constitutions because the rules so provided are all that can protec...

CONSTITUTION BY A . O . EZE      Every state, in fact every political organization, club, or other group has a constitution, or set of rules by which power is distributed among the members (Shively, 2005). Constitution is the fundamental law in a state that sets principles on how a state should be governed. According to Roskin et al (1988: 46) political scientists, view it as “that set of rules and customs, either written or unwritten, legally established or extralegal, by which a government conducts its affairs.” In the same vein Heywood (2007:316) contends logically that a constitution is a “set of rules, written and unwritten, that seeks to establish the duties, powers and functions of the various institutions of government, regulate the relationships between them, and define the relationship between the state and the individual.”      Constitution is the mother of other laws. It is the fundamental law of the state....

CONSERVATISM      Conservatism is a form of political ideology that believes in the existence of social, political, and economic order, stability and the lack of change of political systems be it in cultural, customary and traditional practices of society or otherwise. In other words, conservatism advocates for status quo and if change must occur at all it should be by incremental or evolutionary.      The conservatives believe that change is good but it must be gradual so that it does not affect the tradition, custom and the social orderliness or practices of society. They advocate for small governments that will not intervene in the affairs of individual and their cultural practices. In other words, it seeks for the preservation, rigidity and continuity of the existing practice. The principle or tenet of conservatism opposes any form of change in existing system in society. Those who oppose change are called reactionaries, ...

CONFEDERALISM       Confederal system of government is a system of government based on structural arrangement whereby component or federating units are stronger than the central government . Under this system, central government is weak compared to the power of the component regions. Each component unit has legal right to govern and develop its entity at its own pace.      Contemporarily, confederalism has been loosely used to refer to a union of states in which each member state retains their sovereign power: like the United Nations, African Union, European Union, Organization of American States, Arab League, etc.     The following are some of the characteristics of confederalism: weak centre, autonomous union, flexible constitution, right of secession and so forth.    

COMMUNISM      According to Karl Marx, communism is the highest stage of socialism in which all forms of injustice, exploitation, man’s inhumanity to man and other deprivations will cease to exist. He went further to posit that even the state and its monopoly will wither away or cease to exist because it is a mere instrument of the ruling class to exploit the poor; the state is not an impartial being as claimed by the liberal scholars. Therefore, communism is the extreme form or last stage of socialism. It is a subset of socialism.      Karl Marx was the founder of the extremist and radical revolutionary movement known as the Communist League in the 1840s. He conceptualized the notion of communism in his famous book entitled the Communist Manifesto which was co-authored by Frederick Engels and published in 1848. He criticized the asocial nature of capitalist society and called for revolution which will overthrow capitalist mode of product...

COMMUNALISM     This was a classless society where production, distribution and exchange of goods and services were collectively owned by the people. Communalism anchored on the principle of original concept of humanism which was based on philosophy of “from each according to his ability to each according to his needs”.      Besides, it should be noted that communalism was the second stage of the evolution of human society according to Karl Marx in the analysis of his “historical dialectical materialism”. The followings are the processes in which human society evolves: from primitive Communalism– Communalism- Feudalism – Capitalism- Socialism- Communism.

COLONIALISM      Colonialism can be defined as political, economic and social subjugation, domination and annexation of territory of one country by another country. In other words, colonialism is the extreme form of imperialism which has gone beyond mere economic trade to direct annexation of colonies. According to Okereke and Ekpe (2002:102), “colonialism is the situation where one country exercises political domination over another by assuming control of the machinery of government and directing the affairs of society.’’       The industrialization process in many European countries can be tagged as what caused colonization. It was due to the industrial revolution that happened in Europe that made European countries like Britain, Belgium, France, etc., to be involved in the following activities which led to colonization. 1.To search for excess raw materials for their industries. 2.To provide markets for the sale of ...

COMMODIFICATION OF LABOUR      Commodification of labour is the transformation of human labour or power into commodity which can be sold and bought. It is one of the characteristics of capitalism.  In a capitalist society, there are two broad classes: class who owns the means of production (bourgeoisie or the haves) and class who does not own the means of production (proletariat or the have-nots).      Hence, for those who do not own the means of production to survive they have to sell their labour power to those who have the means of production. In other words, they have to be employed and work for those who own the means of production as workers so that the owner of industry can exploit their labour power and pay them salaries or wages for their services depending on the monetary value of their labour. Therefore, they have sold or commodified their labour power in exchange for salaries or wages.      As Claude Ake (...

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY      This term is used in Westminster (Parliamentary system of government) to refer to the accountability of all cabinet members if vote of no confidence is passed on them in parliament. In other words, it means that any decision or action or inaction taken by one cabinet member of Parliament will affect all members collectively. They are collectively responsible for any lawful or unlawful behaviour. In case of vote of no confidence, the entire cabinet members will resign and another election will be conducted.     The opposite of collective responsibility is “individual responsibility” which is used in presidential system of government.

COLD WAR Cold war was an ideological conflict between mainly the United States commonly known as western bloc and the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) or eastern bloc immediately after the Second World War in 1945. It was an ideological tension, because what caused the war was based on two ideologies that dominated the world political, economic and social spheres then. According to Heywood (2007:133) “the term Cold war was coined by Walter Lippman in 1944.” He described it as “a state of protracted and extreme tension between countries or rival alliances that stops short of all-out war. The term is most commonly associated with a period of political, economic, cultural and military rivalry between the ‘capitalist’ western bloc and the ‘communist’ eastern bloc, and thus between the US and Soviet superpowers.” The two ideologies are: Capitalism ––– the United States Communism ––– the Soviet Union Analysis of Cold war: How did Cold War Start?   Cold...