Democracy Without Development: An Assessment of the Moderating Factors in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper assesses the performance of democratic leadership in the Nigerian state in sub-Saharan Africa to determine if democracy dividends accrue to the citizens. The study suggests that in the fight against corruption, the government must guarantee the independence of the anticorruption institutions and fix the socioeconomic factors plaguing the nation. Evidence from the descriptive statistical outputs of the moderator factors such as corruption, inflation, infrastructure and insecurity suggests a deleterious moderation in the relationship between ‘democratic leadership performance’ and ‘democracy dividends’. Thus, the diminutive influence of the former on the latter potentially leaves the citizens vulnerable.