Civil Disobedience And Good Governance: A Philosophical Perspective
Itelimo Morrison
Department of General Studies, School of Education, Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education Sagbama, Bayelsa State
Nnamdi Basil Sunday PHD
Department of Philosophy, University of Port Harcourt
Abstract
The paper examines civil disobedience as articulated by John Rawls and good governance. The objective is to demonstrate how the use of civil disobedience promotes good governance, particularly in a democratic society. The paper employs the expository and analytical method. Rawls formulates civil disobedience as a reaction to the social injustice prevalent in his day and as a functional framework for changing unjust laws and policies of government that are detrimental to the well-being of generality of the citizens. As a non-violent political action, civil disobedience as propounded by Rawls provides a practical guide for establishing a just constitutional polity anchored on the fundamental tenets of justice, equality and fairness, where the rights of humans are well-protected and the affairs of government are administered and regulated in conformity with the dictates of the Constitution. In Nigeria, the inequitable distribution of resources, inequity in government’s appointments, employment and uneven development engender socio-economic and political conflicts which continue to threaten the corporate existence of the country as a Nation as well as to undermine democracy. Therefore, the paper concludes that civil disobedience is a sine qua non for good governance by ensuring that effective service delivery, political participation, accountability, transparency, respect for the rule of law and conduct of free, fair and credible elections are entrenched and uphold in the governing process. This implies that Rawls theory of civil disobedience is good for the practice of democracy in Nigeria since it helps to stifle arbitrary and dictatorial rule in governance with a view to strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring the delivering of the dividends of good governance to all Nigerians.