FACTORS OF SUSTAINING NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

What does the term sustainable Democracy mean?

Sustainable Democracy Sustainable democracy is an act of
protecting and promoting the electoral rights of the people,
democratic culture, and values in a society. It is the process of
development of all aspects of democracy and a healthy
democratic atmosphere for the interest of present and future
generations. Sustainable democracy implies thinking of the
approach to resolve the root cause(s) of anti-democratic
behavior by collaborating with Information Communication
Technology (ICT) and Ogbe & Ojie: Restructuring for Sustainable
Democracy in Nigeria: The Role of Political Education and
Information Communication Technology 200 political education
for the enlightenment of citizens on democratic culture and
values to keep a healthy democratic practice in society.
Therefore, sustainable democracy is a systematic process of
changing the orientation and attitude of citizens and
institutions of governance through continuous political
education that will impact positively on democracy in a society.
Election
These factors include;
1.Election
Election is an avenue created for people to freely choose those
that they wish to govern them in a place. Dunmoye (2012),
Obasi and Erondu (2012) see election as the process of
choosing a qualified person or persons to occupy certain office
or offices by vote. Obikeze and Obi (2004) opine that through
election; people of a country, union or organization choose and
exercise some degree of control over their representatives.
Also, Obi and Uzor (2017), posit that election is an orderly
means of changing governments, which make the people
determinants of who occupies offices especially in elections.
Hence election is a procedure for choosing those that will
occupy governmental office(s) and govern in accordance with
the stated law of the land. It gives an opportunity to citizens to
express their views on leading political questions, who they
desire to govern and how they wish to be governed. Election is
a medium to check the excesses of government and to test the
acceptance or popularity of existing government.
2. Strengthen public support for democratic principles by
investing in civic education. To protect freedom domestically
and build support for a foreign policy that protects democratic
rights and values abroad, it is essential to foster a stronger
public understanding of democratic principles, especially
among young people. In the United States, new legislation
could require each state to develop basic content and
benchmarks of achievement for civic education, including
instruction on the fundamental tenets of US democracy. In the
absence of new legislation, the US Department of Education
should, to the extent possible, make funding available to states
for civic education that focuses on democratic principles.
3. Respect, protect, and fulfill human rights at home. Attacks
by elected leaders on democratic institutions—including the
press, an independent judiciary, and anti-corruption agencies—
and on the rights of minorities and migrants undermine faith in
democracy around the world. Democratic leaders should
demonstrate respect for fundamental norms at home by
adhering to domestic legislation in line with international
human rights laws and standards, and refraining from rhetoric
that undermines these standards.

4. Require social media companies to report foreign efforts to

spread online disinformation and propaganda. Social media
companies should be required to report regularly to target
governments on efforts by foreign governments and nonstate
actors to manipulate public opinion and undercut democratic
values by spreading disinformation and propaganda on their
platforms. In the United States, the government should assess
which entities would be the most appropriate to receive these
reports, since this information is of interest across jurisdictions,
including to intelligence agencies, Congress, the US State
Department’s Global Engagement Center, the Securities and
Exchange Commission, and the Department of Justice. The US
government should carefully decide on the types and sizes of
social media companies required to comply, the data they must
submit, and appropriate penalties for noncompliance. The
entity receiving the information should report findings regularly
to the public and make the data publicly available, while
ensuring the protection of users’ privacy.
5. Address the use of bots on social media. Bots (automated
accounts pretending to be real people) can be used to distort
the online media environment by rapidly spreading false
information, fomenting discord, and drowning out independent
reporting and factual information. Democracies should address
the use of bots in social media manipulation. In the United
States, the proposed Bot Disclosure and Accountability Act (S.
2125) would authorize the Federal Trade Commission to
require the conspicuous and public disclosure of bots intended
to replicate human activity.
6. Preventing election interference. Efforts should include
protecting elections from cyberattacks through the use of paper
ballots and election audits, and improving transparency and
oversight of online political advertisements. In the United
States, Congress should pass and the president should sign the
Honest Ads Act (S. 1356/H.R. 2592), which would modernize
existing laws by applying disclosure requirements to online
political advertising.
7. Strengthening laws that guard against foreign influence
over government officials. Legislative proposals requiring
greater transparency about officials’ personal finances and
campaign donations, more rigorous standards for the disclosure
of conflicts of interest, and the establishment of a clear code of
conduct for engagement with foreign officials can help insulate
governments from foreign attempts to subvert democratic
institutions. In the United States, this could include passing
legislation to enforce the principles of the constitution’s foreign
emoluments clause, closing loopholes in rules on reporting
foreign influence, and modernizing financial disclosure
requirements for elected officials.