ICT AND THE PROSPECT OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC

The assumption in any democratic order is that governance is hinged on a reciprocal relationship between the leaders and the led. That is, the leadership responsiveness and accountability to the people on one hand, and the increasing participation in forms of demand and support from the people in government business on the other hand. This symbiotic relationship provides the platform that drives democracy which presupposes development. In Nigeria, following the return to civil rule in 1999, the country has witnessed continual citizen participation in governance which has gone a long way in enhancing leadership quality and development. This article argues that one way in which this has been done is the ever-rising use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in the democratic space. Its deployment in different areas of governance has contributed to opening the democratic space, thus creating greater freedom and access to governmental machinery by the citizens and enhances the socio-political mobilization and participation necessary for functional operation of the government. Attempt is made to examine the use of various products of ICT, especially, social media and blogosphere in making demands of accountability and openness on the government by the citizenry. It maps out the existential obstacles to the use of ICT and its misuse in governance in Nigeria. Keywords: Information; Governance; ICT; Democratic; Accountability