The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria: The Birth of A New Order

Since Nigeria returned to Democratic Governance in May 29, 1999, Civil Society Organizations and Trade Unions , the original Vanguard of the Democratization process and an alternative platform for enthroning a democratic social order have become quintessential platforms, arenas and fora for emancipating, transforming and enthroning the birth of a new order and revolutionary spaces for sustainable nation building and development. To this end, Nigeria has a very strong civil society organizations and trade unions which have played constructive roles in the country's transitions toward democracy and democratization process as battle grounds for recovering citizen control of public life. As important forces and platforms for creating and recreating stability towards the consolidation of its nascent democracy and democratization process animated through popular participation, they have nonetheless become the basis for a durable new political authority, regardless of the plethora of problems besetting them generally. Hence, civil society remains the transformative, emancipatory and revolutionary designate through which social forces could recover citizen involvement, participation and control of public life. The sentiment, contention and temper of this is that: by empowering civil society to perform the supreme and quintessential role and functions, and especially involving civil society in the political and electoral processes, structures and institutions, animated through popular participations, would generate, construct and re-construct an indispensable basis for a durable new and stable political authority and order in Nigeria.