Many African countries have struggled with governance, alternating between democratic and autocratic rule, since attaining independence in the mid-twentieth century. Despite the military's incursion into politics in the immediate post-independence decade, the 1990s experienced a turn as there has been a wave and advancements in democratic governance in Africa. The start of the twenty-first century marked a new wave of democracy on the continent. However, progress varied among countries, necessitating democratic support from matured democracies, such as the United States (US), to support less democratic countries like Nigeria. Employing qualitative data on events, funding, and foreign policy activities from the start of the twenty-first century, this paper comprehensively examines the US’s involvement in advancing and enhancing democracy in Nigeria. Further, the paper explores the different efforts made by the US in partnership with Nigerian authorities. These include the implementation of the Integrated Country Strategy for Nigeria as part of the US bilateral policy, the support provided by USAID to civil society organizations, establishing the US-Nigeria Binational Commission, workshops and training for the election management body, and diplomatic visits. These initiatives were aimed at promoting democracy in Nigeria. Additionally, it underscores the importance of corroborating the effects of these strategies and initiatives with a political literacy educational effort and expressed by critics regarding the priority of national interests, the suitability of US-style democracy in a different country such as Nigeria, and the necessity for a more contextually relevant and comprehensive approach to democracy promotion in Nigeria. The study suggests that greater attention should be given to Nigeria's sociopolitical dynamics to ensure that democracy promotion strategies are relevant and practical. An urgent call is made for concrete actions to transform the commitments to democratic values into actual efforts that directly improve the lives of the Nigerian population through a political literacy education that enhances awareness and promotes democracy.

Keywords: Democracy, Nigeria, US, USAID