Repositioning Nigeria as an Emerging Democracy: Dialectics of social dialogue and the 2014 national conference

Abstract:

 In order to identify and evolve frameworks for political processes to sustainable statehood against the

background of inter-ethnic stability and co-operation in Nigeria, the Federal Government convoked a National

conference in 2014. The National Conference was a collective engagement in the character of political dialogue for

peace-building in pursuit of the fleeting peace in an emerging democratic culture in Nigeria. The Conference among

other things attempted to articulate an internal peace-building outcome in the democratic process through socio-economic

settlement of benefits and political dialogue for cohesion and functional democratic institutions. This paper

acknowledges the wide range of dialectical nuances of the debates at the conference, which started from issues rising

from the nomination of delegates, unto the pluralistic make-up of the conference members. And it therefore investigates

the inter-group relations in the conference in relation to the pluralistic nature of Nigeria. Applying the social dialogue

approach in peace-building evaluation, the study examined the inter group relations in the proceedings, resolutions and

responses to conference resolutions. The study concludes that since the legitimacy of the resolutions of the conference is

already argued even before proceedings started, it follows therefore that its applicability is questionable. Therefore,

notwithstanding how plausible the resolution may look, the paper made recommendations that are based on the main

thesis of the discussion.

Keywords: Democracy, Social dialogue, National conference, Peace building, Dialectics