Many eminent Nigerians, including former governors and past public office holders have expressed fears over the falling standards and abuse of democratic principles in Nigeria and many African countries.
Speaking at a colloquium held in Abuja on Monday to mark the 60th birthday celebration of a former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chaired the event, said what Africa was practising today was a mere reflection of ‘representative democracy.’
“Abraham Lincoln describes it as a government of the people, by the people and for the people. But what do we have today? The Greek democracy affects everyone. Democracy has now become representative democracy and it hasn’t taken care of everyone.
“Democracy in Africa has failed because it’s not African, it didn’t have our culture and way of lives. You will say, ‘go to court’ when you know that you can’t get justice. Democracy is dying in Africa and to save it, it should be made in the context of Africa,” Obasanjo said.
In his keynote address titled ‘Is Democracy Failing in Africa?’ the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, lamented that it seemed like Nigeria’s democracy only worked for a few selected persons.
The Bishop noted that such feeling has fuelled a debate on the suitability of the Nigerian Constitution, which has constantly put pressure on the judiciary.
“We as Africans inherited a system that is not ours, but we can’t say it is not relevant to us. There are differences between democracy in Asia and that of Africa. I feel sorry for judges. At the last election, even small me, I had people calling me, complaining, talk to this, talk to that.
“There was pressure on judges to deliver justice. I agree that there’s an urgent need to clean up the mess. Democracy is about everything, and it’s about justice. Democracy and its principles are endless contestations. There are certain things God has given us which people can’t control,” he said.
Bishop Kukah urged politicians to borrow a leaf from the cat-and-mouse relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku, which he said, also helped to deepen democracy.
“The relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku is like a Catholic marriage. You will quarrel without breaking up. No constitution will be better than the Bible and Koran. Yet, we are still living in sin. The weaponisation of religion is a big problem in Nigeria.
“Democracy is a work in progress. God doesn’t discriminate against either Christian or Muslim prayers. If we are not treating each other rightly, one must be a bastard.”
A former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, however, said it was high time Nigeria reviewed the 1999 Constitution to address the plethora of problems plaguing its structure.
According to him, the country cannot afford to lose its enviable status in the international community.
“As Commonwealth Secretary-General, I helped members to transit to multi-party democracy. We need a new constitution to address many challenges. True federalism is the answer to the management of national issues. The recent coups in Mali and Niger tend to take us back.
“The nature of our politics and the conduct of our politicians is another problem of our democracy. They have become instruments of capturing political power. It’s only true, stable democratic governance that can rid our country of the crises which impede development.
“I believe that Nigeria can change this Eurocentric narrative. We in Africa and Nigeria have a responsibility to get a stable democracy and change the Eurocentric narrative,” he stated.
Some of the eminent personalities in attendance were former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and the immediate past Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari.
