KWAMEH NKRUMAH’S PHILOSOPHICAL CONSCIENCISM: REFLECTIONS ON NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

Abstract

Kwame Nkrumah’s Philosophical Consciencism is a clarion call for African nations to unite so as to achieve sustainable development. It is also a call for Africans to be conscious of their peculiarities and so pull away from westernized model of governance. Nigeria as country has been moving back and forth in its practice of democracy since independence. This is as a result of plethora of issues that have posed as challenges. Some of such challenges include, cultural diversity, adoption of westernized democracy, and a whole lot of challenges due to colonial experience. This study adopts Nkrumah’s Philosophical Consciencism and seeks to apply it to the practice of democracy in Nigeria. The study employs the method of analysis to dissect Nkrumah’s Philosophical Consciencism and put it side by side with democratic governance in Nigeria. As it were, the study finds out that, given the cultural diversity in Nigeria, that taking cognizance of Nkrumah’s Consciencism will be a panacea for Nigeria’s developmental challenges. This is so because having in mind Nigeria’s cultural diversity as a peculiarity and working towards sincere unification, will bring out the true meaning of democracy in Nigeria. The study concludes that when that is done, the practice of democracy in Nigeria will occasion sustainable development in Nigeria.