ETHNIC AGITATIONS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE IN NIGERIA: THE AFTERMATH OF THE ENDSARS PROTEST IN 2020

Abstract

Agitation in Nigeria continue to take different dimensions from the perceptive of political power sharing, economic and infrastructural development distribution, devolution of power between the federal, state and local governments, resource control between the Federal and the State (North and the South) religion perception and manipulations, various calls for political and economic restructuring, the gap between the rich and the poor and the near annihilation of the middle class. Good governance engenders peace, political stability, good social services delivery, improved social standard of living and reduction in poverty level, etc. This article seeks to interrogate issues that give rise to ethnic agitations and also examine the features of good governance that gives rise to political and economic stability, reduce conflict to it minimum, a professionally and corrupt free public service etc. the objective of this paper is to examine the role played by good governance in reducing the ever increasing ethnic agitation by Nigeria as a result of continue failed socio-economic bliss, corruption, bad leadership youth unemployment, political power etc. This qualitative paper adopted the Marxist class theory to analyze the struggle in the Nigerian political-economic domain. The method adopted was secondary data, were text, journals, newspapers, etc were consulted based on qualitative content analysis. The research design used for this work is thematic design. One main finding is that youth who form a greater part of the active class are unemployed. This continued challenge led to the #EndSARS protest which was high jacked by other element that led to a serious protest in the various states (North & South) and the socio-economy of Nigeria was brought to a standstill. Hence, the paper suggest among others that Nigeria must pursue vigorously the features and the concept of good governance for a stabilized and peaceful country.