Abstract – Nigeria returned to civil rule on 29th May, 1999 and Nigerians were hopeful that their lots would be improved but twenty-one years after, the country is faced with numerous challenges among which are insecurity, poverty, banditry, leadership failure, corruption, electoral malpractice, among others. All these have affected democratic consolidation in the country. This essay examines the challenges of consolidating democracy in the Nigerian Fourth Republic and suggests ways by which such challenges can be addressed. The paper adopts a historical and descriptive method. Put differently, it is a desk research and relies on secondary data such as books, journals, and internet materials and analyzed using content analysis. The paper argues that the country has not fared better in the last twenty-one years of democratic rule in the country as cases of corruption, insecurity, banditry, and many other social vices have been on the rise. For democracy to be consolidated, there is a need for attitudinal change on the part of the rulers and ruled and adherence to democratic tenets.
Keywords: Democracy, Democratic Consolidation, Nigeria, Fourth Republic
[Cite as: Adeosun, A. B. (2021). The Challenges of Consolidating Democracy in the Nigerian Fourth Republic: A Comment. Diverse Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 3, Issue 2, Pages 10-20.]
