Nigeria’s Democracy At 12

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Opinion

Nigeria’s Democracy At 12

Written by Charles Soeze Saturday, 28 May 2011

Nigeria is currently marking 12 years of unbroken democratic structure in the history of its fatherland. It is a symbolic celebration because this is the first time Nigeria, with its long history of military rule, has enjoyed that length of time with civil rule.
The closest the country has come since independence on October 1, 1960 was that of the First Republic under the leadership of the late Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as ceremonial president which lasted for five years.

The next attempt of a democratic structure under Alhaji Shehu Shagari, first Executive President of Nigeria, ended after four years between 1979 and 1983. Consequently, Nigerians waited for 16 more years before democracy returned.

We are to make sure that our democracy is well-guided so that it will not be controlled by individuals and groups who are bent on promoting their own selfish ideas and agenda.

It is most appropriate to say that human beings can do anything to get whatever they want. They do not mind embarking on people’s destruction programme to achieve their aims. Realising this fact, former President Olusegun Obasanjo writes in his book, The Animal Called Man, “Man is an insatiable animal as far as quest for position, power, possession, popularity and pleasure are concerned.”

A democracy must have, as one of its basic attributes, a free and responsible press. The press in a democracy must be free in the sense that it must not be the organ for the articulation of the interest of only those in power, but should be advocates of higher national interests. Whatever the case may be, the press must also be responsible in the sense that it should not articulate interest that retard, undermine or regress the social weal and the unifying bond that holds society together and guarantees its solidarity, integrity and sovereignty. One thing that is disappointing to many Nigerians is that when some of these politicians get elected, they always feel that they are in office to amass wealth. However, I wish to quote the sage and elder statesman, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo for the guidance of our politicians when he said “I must say, however, that in all conscience, I felt and still feel that a truly public-spirit person should accept public service not for what he can get for himself, such as profit and glamour of office, but for the opportunity which it offers him of serving his people for the best of his ability, by promoting their welfare and happiness.” In this connection, therefore, the welfare of the masses needs to be adequately addressed. In other words, our politicians should be imbued with Mandela’s stoicism and Caesar’s bravery in services to the people.

Nigerians should be congratulated as lovers of democracy since May 29, 1999 and for an uninterrupted democratic structure for 12 years. To this end, therefore, one can boldly and proudly say that democracy can effectively be practised in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, the past 12 years has been characterised by desperation for power, political parties without identifiable ideologies, electoral violence, killings, bombings, kidnappings, prolonged and incessant electoral litigations and upturning of election results through judicial process.

It is a truism to say that 12 years is enough duration for a nation for effective administration. One of the biggest gains during this political dispensation is the true rebirth of the rule of law, with a freer judicial system that has restored confidence of the people in the Nigerian judiciary. Also, it is true to say that our democracy is still not perfect, though there is no perfection in humanity. However, one can happily say that the nation has survived the imperfection for the past 12 years.

It seems to me that there is hope for democracy in Nigeria, especially if and when the political elites learn to use power for service, and not for destruction, and respect the opinions and views of the electorate as demonstrated through the ballot box.

It is a sad commentary and abomination on our national affairs that the problem of corruption remains intractable. It has now been elevated to a prime position of a national culture. Astonishingly, corrupt officials direct our affairs and successive governments appear incapable of arresting the free fall to the abyss of infamy. It is unfortunate that key functionaries, specifically those under whose offices the burden rests to address the situation, are its promoters. As a result, it is, therefore, no exaggeration to say that the key sectors of the economy have been run aground. Service delivery in the health sector is silly and laughable. Our roads continue to be a major source of death trap and unpardonable mortality after the appropriation of trillions of naira. Acts of criminality in different directions thrive, while the issue of security weighs down Nigeria to the extent that some ‘big guys’ in our society provide their own security.

It is the view of some Nigerians that our democracy is steadily evolving and compared with other democracies around the world. I would add that there are a lot of prospects, too. However, at the leadership or top echelon, there is the need for additional work and proper interaction with the mass audience.

What baffles one is that many Nigerian politicians believe that political power is a road to wealth and security in Nigeria, the struggle for control has been problematic seeing political power as warfare, instead of translating into welfare economics for the electorate. It is, therefore, appropriate to say that the political elites should forget about selfishness and the quest for power through “do or die” politics and go through the democratic process, that is the ballot box, in a most transparent manner. In conclusion, let all of us join hands, in fact, all hands must be on the pump with the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR, to make Nigeria better and comparable to other developed nations.

Soeze sent this piece from the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State.