Nigerian democracy

To the Young Nigerians and to my Nigerian friends

11 Nov 1947: House of Commons: Democ­ra­cy is the worst form of Gov­ern­ment except for all those oth­er forms that have been tried from time to time. – Winston Churchill. Let all of us, living in democracies remember that a democracy requires continuous efforts by its people to strengthen it, if it is not to deteriorate.

A democracy is of the people and by the people. We, JOINTLY, have to make democracy work in our city, our State and our country. As we become determined in our mind, the environment will change. The Nigerians and the world have to make the democracy in Nigeria a success, in the interest of a better world and a better Africa tomorrow. Some or many political leaders in Nigeria at the Federal or at the State levels may not be the best in the world. But if the voters continue to select better of the candidates, in a few elections, Nigeria will have a vibrant democracy.

Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú in Premium Times dated 9^th August 2022 said that A salient point in the coming elections is the rise of political awareness by first time registrants. This is not a flash-in-the-pan social media phenomenon, it will be translated into votes. They must believe in themselves and in Nigeria.

Dr. Reuben Abati, in saharareporters.com dated 27^th September 2022 recalled: The country’s universities were among the best in Africa and the Commonwealth. The then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University – OAU) was rated as the most beautiful campus in Africa! The same university, along with the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) boasted of some of the best brains in their respective fields. Ibadan had one of the best science and research laboratories in Africa. The university zoo was a tourist attraction. The country’s university teaching hospitals were so good, so well-equipped that patients came from as far away as Saudi Arabia to receive treatment at the University College, Hospital, (UCH), Ibadan.

Nigeria can surely make its universities and hospitals even better than they were.

The media is an important 4^th pillar of any democracy and it works as the ears and eyes of the citizens.  But if it becomes too partisan, as it has in some of the mature democracies, it can become a hurdle for democracies, which are evolving from a scratch. The social media can be used by intelligent citizens as an anti-dote to a partisan media.

Let us remember that Sir Robert Walpole in 1734 remarked to Lord John Leveson-Gower, “I know the price of every man in this house [House of Commons] except three.” Today a Prime minister of UK is changed, even though his party enjoyed a majority, won under his leadership, only because he is perceived not to be as upright as he is supposed to be. There is no reason to assume that Nigerian democracy cannot become an example to the rest of the world, including those of USA and UK.

I have read some utopian proposals for splitting Nigeria into manageable parts. Democratically, the North is not going to permit any partition, which does not permit to control oil-producing regions of the south. A military regime, which had derailed democracy within a few years of independence failed to solve the problem. The possibility o an intervention by God can be rued out. Hence the only way out for Nigeria is to re-build the nation democratically. It can be done.