Big men, big threats and big trouble : a panoramic analysis of selected contending issues in Nigeria, 1999-2012

Nigeria, despite the great expectations and aspirations that accompanied the reintroduction of civil rule in 1999, is yet to experience any remarkable positive change in most of its problematic areas of life which, incidentally, also accounted for the long battle against military rule in the country. This paper attempts a panoramic analysis of the probable nexus between male domination of socio-economic and political aspects of life, general abuse of office and privileges, in terms of corruption as well as corruptive tendencies, and the performance of Nigeria's political system, particularly between 1999 and 2012. In other words, it attempts a critical examination of the probable interconnections between the endemic nature of the abuse of privileged positions and the gender of the abusers during the period under focus. The research methodology is descriptive and analytical. It combines various historical explanations on the dynamics of socio-economic and political life in Nigeria with those offered on the same aspects of human existence in several other parts of the world. Meanwhile, it adopts an eclectic framework of analysis, which is a combination of prominent explanations on public policy processes and their effects, in terms of who gets what, when and how as well as the impact on the wellbeing of different societies across the ancient, medieval and contemporary ages. Finally, it draws examples of best practices from other societies where, in spite of male domination, public affairs are conducted for the actualization of sustainable development. These examples of best practices form the core of the paper's suggestions on the management of the activities of "big men" and the "big threats" as well as the "big trouble" that they constitute in Nigeria and, against its development aspirations.