“There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society, with a large segment of people in that society, who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that they have nothing to lose. People who have a stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.†- Martin Luther King.
Pat Utomi, a presidential aspirant, captures the anomaly of Nigerian democracy, and politics as played by the political Lords of the land. Utomi states via the his campaign site:
“Nigeria lies prostrate because in Nigerian politics people do not really matter. Just look at the things we assume about Nigerian politics. They all seem to discount the Nigerian people. Look at the undemocratic nature of the processes of our political parties; the assumption by most Nigerians that voting is pointless because elections are rigged by a political class that think nothing of the weight of the voice of the people; the mindless corruption that leaves the state treasury empty even as the Governors pour the fortune of the common wealth into their private quests for political bounty as aspirants for the presidency. How did we get it so wrong?”
A multiple of factors are responsible for this observation: Corruption, poverty, failure to practice true federalism, and sheer ignorance of the people.
If there is one thing made obvious over the years, its the fact that the structure of governance as it is in Nigeria today is loop-sided and based on a weak and shaky foundations.
The constitution demands a federation but what the nation practices is far from this. The situation in the Niger-Delta is a good reference point; after millions of dollars invested in infrastructure building via the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the region remains the eyesore of the nation, and a playground for violent dissenters.
I wonder why the officials of the NDDC are government appointees, while they can be elected by the people of the region. This not only gives the Niger-Deltans a say in their affairs, it forces the NDDC’s officials to be accountable. Having NDDC administrators report to Abuja is a misnomer; they should report to the people!
Politics under democracy abhors apathy, and it’s the primary responsibility of the government to sell the values of democracy to the people and engage the the citizenry. Of course this hasn’t happened because the Nigerian government – to a large extent – has several attributes that are anti-people. So far the ‘benefits’ of the several reforms implemented in Nigeria haven’t trickled down to the masses yet. If the Nigerian masses must make some sacrifices for a greater tomorrow and suffer the pains of economic reforms, aren’t those running the nation required to make such sacrifices as well? …Are they?
Until a platform is created on which the Nigerian people can engage the political class from a position of power – where demands of accountability can be made without fear or acrimony, I’m afraid the question will always remain: How did we get it so wrong?
Please i want to have more facts on why Democracy have been a failure in Nigeria. What are the factors behind its failure in Nigeria.
February 1, 2007 at 6:13 am