A Democratic Developmental State in post-authoritarian Nigeria? Issues and prospects

Abstract

This article, deploying data from documentary sources,examines issues in Nigeria’s democratization project and the prospect of a Democratic Developmental State (DDS) in post-authoritarian Nigeria. Drawing from the radical theory of the state, it notes that an autonomous state is pivotal to a successful DDS in the global South. In the light of this and based on the review of Nigeria’s development and democratization history, the article argues and concludes that, given the non-autonomous character of the Nigerian state and the politics that it engenders, the prospects of a DDS in Nigeria in the nearest future are rather slim.