Policy Analysis & Commentary
The Failure of Governance in Nigeria: An Epistocratic Challenge
This article examines Nigeria's persistent governance challenges through the relationship between political leadership, electoral behaviour and civic knowledge. Drawing on the contested concept of epistocracy, which links political authority to knowledge and competence, it questions a political system in which patronage, voter manipulation and inadequate accountability can take precedence over effective leadership. While acknowledging the risks of exclusion and inequality inherent in epistocratic arrangements, the authors propose stronger standards for political leadership, expanded civic education and greater public awareness of citizens' rights and responsibilities as pathways towards more accountable governance.
This article examines Nigeria's persistent governance challenges through the relationship between political leadership, electoral behaviour and civic knowledge. Drawing on the contested concept of epistocracy, which links political authority to knowledge and competence, it questions a political system in which patronage, voter manipulation and inadequate accountability can take precedence over effective leadership. While acknowledging the risks of exclusion and inequality inherent in epistocratic arrangements, the authors propose stronger standards for political leadership, expanded civic education and greater public awareness of citizens' rights and responsibilities as pathways towards more accountable governance.