GOVERNANCE, SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: EXPLORING FUNDAMENTALS OF CONSTITUENCY REPRESENTATION IN SOUTH EAST STATES

Abstract

Governance, security and development are concepts of correlational imperatives in the context of state. This study therefore explored fundamentals of constituency representation in bolstering governance accountability amid systemic crises of security and development in South-East States of the Federation. The qualitative methodology of this paper lent credence to desk review of data. Data were collected through documentaries (in text books, articles, reports) and non-participant observation (acting as role observer in 30 electoral wards on the ratio of 6 wards per state in the south-east region within period of 42 weeks as significant events were recorded occasioned with local news reports) which were textually analyzed in theoretical orientation of structural-functionalism. The study revealed a region of 25 million people under constituency representation of 1,246 electoral wards across 95 local government areas in a landmass of 29,428 square kilometers. The study further discovered that 10.85 million people across five states in Eastern Nigeria which represents 45.21 percent of its population are grappling with challenges of multidimensional poverty which arguably indicated a dysfunctional gap between intentions, plights and expectations. From these findings, the discourse advocate for review of Local Government Administration Laws to strengthen rural legislative governance, institutional reform among other fundamentals such as Councilor- Community Policing Initiative (CCPI) framework for a region that will be secured and developing in constituency representation of impact.