Politics of Social Security and Welfare Administration in the Face of Weak Institutions in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria’s public policy landscape has been affected by the absence of strong institutions. In the absence of strong and enduring institutions, Nigeria and other developing countries are left at the whims of strongmen who run weak institutions. Social security and welfare administration in Nigeria has been the pet project of various administrations and regimes. The proliferation of different social welfare programs with similar intended objectives lends credence to the absence of strong institutions to guarantee enduring policies and programs. In view of the foregoing, this paper interrogates the politics of social security and welfare administration in Nigeria from an institutional perspective. Anchored on the State Fragility Theory, this study argued that social security and welfare administration in Nigeria is more of a political game of chess, than a deliberate policy aimed at uplifting the economic and social standards of the people. Data for this paper were generated from secondary sources such as journals, books, internet publications, among others, which were analyzed based on their content. From the analysis, the paper concludes that majority of the intended beneficiaries of various social security schemes in Nigeria are either not properly targeted, poorly coordinated or that the funds for these projects are corruptly diverted to other uses. Thus, it was recommended that appropriate institutional and legislative frameworks should be developed to better coordinate and manage the implementation of the various aspects of social and welfare policies like data gathering and profiling of beneficiaries, development of a Social Security Number, funds disbursement, institutional logistics, and supports, among others.