Politics of Budget Appropriation and Development in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, 1999 – 2017

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VII, July 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Politics of Budget Appropriation and Development in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, 1999 – 2017

Asoka, Godknows¹, Ekekwe, Eme N., Ph.D.², Ukachikara, Ucheoma O.³

^{1, 2, 3}Department of Political & Administrative Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Abstract:-Nigeria’s transition from military to civil rule on 29th May, 1999 was greeted with great optimism by the people. However, after about two decades into Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, politics and the Nigerian brand of democracy have become very expensive. While there is mass poverty, unemployment, phenomenal inequality and looming insecurity, the Nigerian ruling class in charge of budget appropriation (in the executive and the National Assembly)are more interested in having their salaries and allowances increased in total disregard of the people whose mandate put them in office. The paper is essentially a descriptive and analytical one, focusing on the relationship between politics, budget appropriation and the outcome for development from 1999 to 2017. The theoretical framework adopted is historical materialism. In a democracy, budgeting is a social contract between the people and their elected representatives. As is an authoritative decision on the priorities and policies of government, the budget is both a political and an economic tool. However, a disproportionate component of political factors renders its economic and developmental value worthless. With lack of plan-budget link and the nature of budget politics, budget appropriation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic has not been able to reduce poverty, inequality and deliverdemocratic dividends. Budgeting has been hijacked by the Nigerian ruling class to under-develop the country at the expense of democracy and development.In spite of operating constitutional federalism, the absence of enabling conditions for democratic participation at the grassroots is the greatest obstacle to democracy and development in Nigeria. Thus, since the power of the purse in a democracy belongs to the people, and politics is mainly about decision-making process for the common good of all members of society, an adapted participatory budgeting process is fundamental.

Key words: Politics, Budget Appropriation, Development.

I. INTRODUCTION

At independence in 1960, Nigeria inherited the parliamentary system of government from the departing colonialists. This was aborted on 16th January, 1966 by a coup d’tat and the military ruled the country for 14 years. On 1st October, 1979, the military handed over power to a civilian government with a presidential system of government modeled after that of the United States of America (USA). However, this Second Republic was also aborted by a coup d’tat on 31st December, 1983 and the military ruled for another 16 years with a truncated Third Republic in between.

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