Human Rights and Democracy in Nigeria and Ivory Coast: Challenges, Violations, And the Path to Reform
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64321/jcr.v2i5.07Keywords:
Human Rights, Democracy, Judicial Reform, Electoral Integrity, Political InstabilityAbstract
Within global politics, there is a rapid interconnection and an evolving political system that safeguards human rights and consolidates democratic principles, making it pivotal for any national development. This looks at the intricate relationship between human rights and democracy in Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, two nations emblematic of the challenges faced by many third-world countries. Drawing on historical frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and contemporary treaties covers the dual imperative of protecting civil and political rights alongside economic, social, and cultural rights.
The central aim of this study is to scrutinise the persistent human rights challenges that affect the democratic consolidation in Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the nexus between democratic governance and the effective protection of human rights and also analyse the institutional weaknesses ranging from arbitrary detention, judicial corruption, and abuse of power by law enforcement to understand how these factors erode public trust and impede democratic processes. The study adopts a qualitative approach and content analysis to systematically examine a broad spectrum of academic literature, policy documents, and human rights reports. The qualitative analysis facilitated an in-depth understanding of historical and contemporary challenges in the structural deficiencies inherent in the governance and judicial frameworks of Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.
Nigeria and the Ivory Coast suffer institutional challenges that compromise the enforcement of human rights. In Nigeria, issues such as extrajudicial killings, torture, and politically motivated detentions, exacerbated by ethno-religious strife and militant insurgencies, have severely affected the prospects of a fair judicial system. Similarly, the Ivory Coast has experienced electoral malpractice, political repression, and systemic discrimination in the wake of post-election violence. These challenges are a form of disconnection between constitutional guarantees and their practical realisation in society, and call for strengthening institutional frameworks that foster transparent electoral processes and judicial independence to bridge the gap between constitutional ideals.
References
Adler, J. (2020). "The Genealogy of ‘Human Dignity’: A New Perspective." Publications of the English Goethe Society, 89(1), 17-59.
Ajah, D. U. (2002). "A Critical Analysis of the Challenges to and Prospects of the Right to Development as a Human Right." The Nigerian Juridical Review, 9(1).
Ake, C. (2000). "The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa." African Books Collective.
Amnesty International. (2016). "Ivory Coast: Arrests and Detentions." Retrieved from Amnesty International.
Amnesty International. (2017). "Human Rights in Nigeria and Ivory Coast." Retrieved from Amnesty International.
Amnesty International. (2020). "Nigeria: Security forces attack #EndSARS protesters." Retrieved from www.amnesty.org
Amnesty International. (2021). "Uganda: Brutal crackdown on opposition supporters." Retrieved from www.amnesty.org
Amnesty International. (2022). "Nigeria: Brutality and Human Rights Abuses by Security Forces." London.
Bah, A. (2021). "Ivory Coast’s Political Landscape: Continuity and Change in Electoral Politics." Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 39(4), 543-558.
Branch, D., & Cheeseman, N. (2010). "Democratisation, Sequencing, and State Failure in Africa: Lessons from Kenya." African Affairs, 108(430), 1-26.
Bratton, M., & Van de Walle, N. (1997). "Democratic Experiments in Africa: Regime Transitions in Comparative Perspective." Cambridge University Press.
Campbell, J. (2022). "Nigeria’s Security Forces and the Impact of the Leahy Law." Council on Foreign Relations.
Diamond, L., & Plattner, M. F. (2016). "Democracy in Decline?" Johns Hopkins University Press.
Donnelly, J. (2013). "Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice." Cornell University Press. Retrieved from Google Books, accessed September 2, 2024.
Dugbenu, R. A. (2018). "The Role of ECOWAS in Managing Post-Election Crises in West Africa: The Case of Ivory Coast and the Gambia." (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ghana).
Duverger, M. (1954). "Political Parties: Their Organisation and Activity in the Modern State." Methuen.
Elster, J. (2000). "Ulysses Unbound: Studies in Rationality, Precommitment, and Constraints." Cambridge University Press.
Erman, E. (2016). "Human Rights and Democracy: Discourse Theory and Global Rights Institutions." Routledge. Retrieved from Taylor & Francis, accessed August 21, 2024.
Fall, I., Sarr, A., & Idy, M. (2022). "Election Management Bodies in West Africa: Challenges and Prospects." Journal of African Elections, 21(1), 101-117.
Gruffydd-Jones, J. J. (2019). "Citizens and Condemnation: Strategic Uses of International Human Rights Pressure in Authoritarian States." Comparative Political Studies, 52(4), 579-612.
Gyekye, K. (1997). "Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience". Oxford University Press.
Haque, M. E. (2018). "Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Versus Civil and Political Rights: Closing the Gap Between the Two and the Present International Human Rights Regime." Dhaka Univ. Stud. Part F, 29, 41.
Hillebrecht, C. (2012). "Implementing International Human Rights Law at Home: Domestic Politics and the European Court of Human Rights." Human Rights Review, 13, 279-301.
Human Rights Watch (2022). "World Report 2022: Nigeria and Ivory Coast." New York.
Human Rights Watch. (2011). "Côte d'Ivoire: Crimes against humanity by both sides." Retrieved from www.hrw.org
Human Rights Watch. (2019). "Cameroon: Anglophone crisis worsens." Retrieved from www.hrw.org
Human Rights Watch. (2020). "Côte d’Ivoire." Retrieved from Human Rights Watch, accessed September 3, 2024.
International Crisis Group (2020). "Ivory Coast’s Elections: Preventing a Breakdown in Peace." Brussels.
International Crisis Group. (2019). "Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks?" Retrieved from www.crisisgroup.org
International Crisis Group. (2021). "Myanmar’s Coup: A Nation in Crisis".
Langlois, A. J. (2005). "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)." In Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics (pp. 418-420). Routledge.
Lindberg, S. I. (2010). "Democracy and Elections in Africa." Johns Hopkins University Press.
Mainwaring, S., & Scully, T. R. (1995). "Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America." Stanford University Press.
McCauley, J. (2020). "Ethnicity, Party Politics, and Democratic Consolidation in Côte d'Ivoire." African Affairs, 119(476), 233-256.
Merry, S. E. (2006). "Human Rights and Gender Violence: Translating International Law into Local Justice". University of Chicago Press.
Moravcsik, A. (2000). "The Origins of Human Rights Regimes: Democratic Delegation in Postwar Europe." International Organisation, 54(2), 217-252.
Mutua, M. (2000). "Human Rights: A Political and Cultural Critique". University of Pennsylvania Press.
Mutua, M. W. (2017). "The Ideology of Human Rights." In International Law of Human Rights (pp. 103-172). Routledge.
Norris, P. (2004). "Electoral Engineering: Voting Rules and Political Behavior." Cambridge University Press.
Obi, C. (2015). "Challenges of Insecurity and Terrorism in Nigeria: Implications for National Development." African Security Review, 24(1), 23-34.
Okafor, O. C., & Ugochukwu, B. (2015). "Raising Legal Giants: The Agency of the Poor in the Human Rights Jurisprudence of the Nigerian Appellate Courts, 1990-2011." African Human Rights Law Journal, 15(2), 397-420.
Olaniyan, K. (2020). "Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa." Hart Publishing.
Omodia, S. M. (2011). "Political Parties and Democratic Governance in Nigeria." Journal of Social Sciences, 27(2), 103-109.
Owusu-Bempah, A. (2016). "Defendant Participation in the Criminal Process." Routledge. Retrieved from Taylor & Francis, accessed August 21, 2024.
Peter, C. M. (2009). "Human Rights Commissions in Africa—Lessons and Challenges." Retrieved from CiteSeerX, accessed September 2, 2024.
Sani, M. M. (2021). "Exploring the Role of ECOWAS’s Conflict Prevention Framework in the Light of a Terrorist Insurgency: The Case of Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria." Retrieved from Mspace, accessed September 2, 2024.
Sartori, G. (2005). "Parties and Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis." ECPR Press.
UN General Assembly. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, 217 A (III)
UN Human Rights Council (2022). "Universal Periodic Review: Nigeria and Ivory Coast." Geneva.
UNESCO. (2020). "Global Education Monitoring Report: Inclusion and Education: All Means All".
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2020). "High Commissioner for Human Rights: Instead of Learning Lessons from the Pandemic, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Are Still Seen as Optional Extras, Not Binding Obligations." Retrieved from OHCHR, accessed September 2, 2024.
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). (2022). "Universal Periodic Review - Nigeria (Third Cycle)".
United Nations. (2019). "Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression".
United Nations. (2021). "Report on Human Rights Violations in the Tigray Conflict." Retrieved from www.un.org
Yagboyaju, D. A. (2013). "Big Men, Big Threats and Big Trouble: A Panoramic Analysis of Selected Contending Issues in Nigeria, 1999-2012." Ubuntu: Journal of Conflict and Social Transformation, 2(1_2), 69-96.
Yagboyaju, D. A. (2022). "Nigeria: The Imperatives of Internal Security and Development—Problems and Prospects." Conflict Studies Quarterly, (40).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Olamide Emmanuel ABE
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
