Democracy according to Abraham Lincoln is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. This implies that it’s a system of government in which citizens of a nation determine how they are, and should be governed through civil procedures and rule of law. Democracy in a layman’s comprehension is the direct opposite of military rule. Democracy is a system of civilian leadership which respects legislative, judicial and executive procedural workings, giving every arm of government its rightful place of astute functionality. It’s a system of government the masses of a country express themselves and determine what is good for them and how to get it achieved through the instrumentality of delegated authorities.
Nigeria after several military dispensations since 1960 and abrogated sessions of democratic government has finally come to terms with the need to bid farewell to military rulership in 1999. Since the advent of the present democratic dispensation in 1999 through gerrymandering, the country has continued to grapple with enormous challenges in a bid to solidify and consolidate on the gains of the system. The Nigerian democracy styled after the United States of America’s, has not existed without shortcomings and deliberate efforts by the political class to stifle it and return the country to the brink of dictatorship. Characteristics of democracy such as transparent suffrage, legislative processes, judicial procedures and free speech have all suffered deliberate attempts by the political class at extermination, making Nigeria’s kind of democracy military rulership in disguise.
Unlike the American democracy from which Nigeria drew principles of civil governance from, free speech which is the most significant component of democracy has been facing serious threat in Nigeria both from the political class and a cross section of the citizenry. The use of brute force to gag protest and pro – democratic voices by governments and strong politicians is one of the biggest challenges this system of governance has faced ever since it gained prominence in Nigeria. Activists, citizens and members of opposition political structures have either at a time or often been beaten up, denied freedom or access to public utilities for reason of them trying to obstruct the ways of tyranny and nepotism or have at the worst been killed. The judiciary which should be a soothing balm in all of these has also been infiltrated by undemocratic tendencies. Its slogan as the last hope of the common person in the society has been brazenly extincted. Majority of the Nigerian people now trust more in self-help than taking their petitions to the different courts in the land for fear of being turned to villains instead of victims of villainy. This has led to criminality of different kinds and lack of confidence in governance with some literally calling for a drift to military rulership.
Sustaining democracy in Nigeria has been a fight too many. The executive empowered to initiate policies, and enforce democratic tenets has rather turned itself into an abattoir where due process, free speech, transparency and gains of good governance are gleefully butchered. Some events in the Nigerian political landscape have shown fatal fallibility of democracy beyond its mere pitfalls. A situation where members of the legislature abdicate their constitutional responsibilities and resort to activism and praise singing for the executive, placing personal interest over national good, is a travesty of a system of government that ought to be the dream come true for all. Lawmakers in a democracy among other functions are expected to make laws or edicts & repeal some sections of them, scrutinize far-reaching policies and programmes of the executive, exercise oversight, lobby projects that can have direct positive bearings on their constituents and constituencies, gatekeep the executive arm and critique its fiscal policies.
To sustain democracy in Nigeria, protect and irrigate its core principles, the different components of the Nigerian Government should rise to the occasion of exercising their respective functions without undue interference of any one. The Federal Government through executive bill to the National Assembly should promulgate laws that can give practical independence to the judiciary, the national electoral umpire, fiscal and administrative freedom to the local government system, the police and sister security agencies. The headship of these agencies should arise from staff hierarchy through a seamless structure based on seniority. Having strong institutions instead of strong individuals in government will go a long way to institutionalize democracy and place back Nigeria to its initial position as not only the giant of the African continent, but a veritable leadership example other nations could copy from. The judiciary should shun what has now become a norm, “selective justice delivery” and manifestation of obvious bias in the discharge of judicial functions. When these are made to stand, tracking crimes and criminals will be a bit easier. Government at all levels should shun fiscal brigandage and begin to think about the general interest of the people and society by providing jobs and basic infrastructure to its teeming jobless population.
To sustain the gains of democratic governance, citizens should also say no to crimes and submit themselves to the dictates of rule of law, seeing that the erstwhile loafing systems of government have begun to align with global best practices in the delivery of dividends of democracy. Leaders at all stages should as a matter of civic duty begin to see life and public service for what they are — opportunity to impact larger spectrum of lives and society, positively. Nigeria as a well – blessed country in terms of human population, good weather and landscape, solid mineral deposits, petroleum resources, human capacity, hydrological resources, attractive vegetation and plains, animal resources and agricultural lands, among others has got to be governed in the fear of God and strict observation of rule of law by its current and emerging leaders. The culture of applying the laws against the poor only should be abrogated, as well as glorification of nepotism, favoritism, civil dictatorial actions, ethnic, class and religious biases in the interest of democracy and coexistence of the different ethnic blocs in the country that in the end, democracy may manifest in clear terms as a system of government owned by the people, and of the people and for the people as propounded by Abraham Lincoln!
•Sir Chika Nwoba is a public affairs writer
and political activist.
