N. O Obakhedo

This study looks at how local government autonomy affects Nigerian grassroots democracy. It looks at how local political, administrative, and financial autonomy impacts accountability, service delivery, and citizen involvement. A survey of 150 people in Nigeria (Edo State, Benin City) was used in the study; 136 of the questionnaires were returned, and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The results show that although excessive state intervention lowers citizen engagement and responsibility, inadequate autonomy prevents local governments from successfully serving the needs of their communities. In order to deepen grassroots democracy and advance sustainable development, the study comes to the conclusion that local governments can be empowered through administrative, financial, and legal reforms. Improvements to oversight procedures, increased community involvement in local governance, and fiscal independence are among the recommendations

This study investigates the role of the military in Nigeria’s democratic consolidation during the Fourth Republic (1999–2024), focusing on three key dimensions: internal security and stability maintenance, support for democratic transitions, and the reinforcement of civil-military relations. Despite over two decades of uninterrupted civilian rule, Nigeria’s democracy continues to face challenges from insecurity, weak institutions, and residual authoritarian influences, making the military a pivotal actor in democratic sustenance. Guided by a quantitative descriptive survey design, data were collected from 400 respondents, including military personnel, civil servants, political scientists, and civilians across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square tests to examine the relationships between military roles and democratic consolidation. The findings reveal that the military’s engagement in internal security, its support for peaceful democratic transitions, and improved civil-military relations all have significant positive effects on democratic consolidation. The study concludes that a professional, constitutionally guided, and democratically accountable military is crucial to sustaining Nigeria’s democracy. Recommendations include strengthening civilian oversight, integrating democratic values into military training, and fostering inter-agency cooperation to maintain stability without undermining democratic norms