ON POLITICAL CULTURE AND NIGERIAS POLITICAL SYSTEM

Politics is ubiquitous. It manifests in every sphere of life. The ancient Greek thinkers were clear on this, hence the understanding that Man can not stay aloof from politics. This must have contributed towards the description of man as a political being. It is important to note that prior to the creation of ancient government, life was unregulated. This required that some form of authority be established to moderate relationships among men. It is believed among scholars of political theory that this gave rise to the Leviathan, the sovereign, which emerged to moderate inter- human relationship, to ensure the equitable distribution of the common patrimony of the whole. This is the allocation of scarce resources. However, the feeling of attachment to the sovereign, it's symbols and governmental paraphernalia as well as the extent to which the people understand, align with, participate, pay credence to and contribute towards their own governance is the Political Culture of the society in question.

Political Culture, one of the factors that shape a political system talks of the widely held opinion and shared perception of the people towards the prevailing political system. It is the sum total of the people's belief, wide spread feeling, understanding, knowledge and value about the type, system, form and nature of the existing political system. This is entirely different from political ideology which is basically a set of beliefs and myths which constitute the platform upon which gladiators persuade voters to enable them form a certain type of government. Practical examples here will include idealism and realism, Capitalism and Socialism, Communism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism to mention a few.

Academics have adduced different types of political Culture to include the Parochial political Culture where the people are almost entirely uninformed of the government and it's processes and hence, takes no interest in the political process. There is also the Subject political Culture where people are relatively aware of the existence and workings of government, and sometimes participate in the political process. Then there is the participatory political Culture in which the people are fully informed and actively participate in the process of governance in the political system.

One of the events that determine the prevailing political Culture of a particular society is the extent to which the people participate in selecting or electing who represents and governs them. This makes elections and participation in electioneering activities a very critical part and determinant of a peoples political Culture. Election itself is one of the features of a democracy, and true democracy encourages participatory political Culture. It is this type of political Culture, made prominent by the New Media, that is now evolving in Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general election, with it's attendant promises. Prior to now, the predominant political Culture prevalent in Nigeria's political clime run between parochial and subject political Cultures. The reason is not farfetched, given the people's seeming loss of faith in the system. However, recent developments appear to have awakened the consciousness of the people, thus pushing them towards seeking to understand, explore and participate in their own political process. 

It goes without saying that a study and understanding of the political Culture of the people is germane in establishing the nexus that exists between the people and the government. It is thus imperative that the emerging participatory political Culture in Nigeria be encouraged, and people be allowed to participate in their own governance as it has a way of creating cohesion and togetherness in the political system.