The great men, who were often referred to as "founding fathers" of Nigeria's democracy, will forever be remembered basically because of their invaluable effort at securing that much clamored freedom for the nation from colonialism. Indeed it was a vision long in the making that had to manifest at just the right moment with the right attitude. Great leaders such as late Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Shehu Shagari, to mentIon but a few, left a legacy of sustainable progressive development for a nation that had huge potential of becoming the enviable pride on the African continent.
Shortly after gaining independence, there were intermittent staged coup by the military takeovers that had its negative toll on economic & infrastructural proceedings. However, things got fairly stable In-terms of inclusive governance when Nigeria experienced its first transition to democracy in 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo was elected President of the federal republic of Nigeria. Till date it has been uninterrupted 20years of democratic experience, but the question still lingers - are we better-off with the democratic system of government?
Distinct writer & poet 'The Great Sage' (@myunicy) relayed to me, in an exclusive take, some interesting comments on how far Nigeria has fared after the feat of independence. When asked if the nation is better-off in the current democratic system of governance than during military era, the political writer opined:
"Yes, we are better off in a democracy than when we were under the military government. In a democracy, power belongs to the people which was exhibited in 2012 during the fuel subsidy removal protest then tagged "Occupy Nigeria" during President Goodluck Jonathan government. It would not have been successful, if we were under a military regime. Also, an underperforming president, governor or lawmaker knows that he (she) can be voted out, if he (she) fails to improve the conditions of the people. That's democracy working for the people."
'The Great Sage' made an elaborate assertion on two (2) major achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government during its first tenure in the last four (4) years - "In fairness when the Buhari administration came on board in 2015, security situation improved a notch. Territories that were previously under the siege of the terrorists (Boko Haram) were recaptured by the Nigerian army. But as it stands today; the gains that we recorded then have been lost again, but doubling-efforts have been intensified to combat the new wave of terrorists' attacks."
"Another area where this current government has done creditably well is in the area of infrastructural development.
The current administration has made infrastructure drive one of its highpoints and many abandoned projects have been completed which was reflected in the 2019 budget, and a capital vote of #394.91 billion has been earmarked for infrastructural development. In the next four years, Nigerians should see the completion of projects like the controversial Second Niger Bridge, the Eastern rail, the Lagos - Calabar rail, the Lagos - Kano rail, Lagos - Ibadan Expressway, and so many others. These will greatly improve the scorecard of President Buhari by the time his administration winds up in 2023," 'The Great Sage' clarified.
However, as citizens what must we do to helping this re-elected government to improve the nation, 'The Great Sage' expressed his thoughts:
"Nigerians need to switch to active citizens mode. Civil Society groups must be up to their statutory responsibility of being the watchdog to the government. Citizens should also refuse to tolerate (vote out) bad leadership that does not mean well for them. As a people of common destiny, we must know that Nigeria belongs to all of us."
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| The Great Sage |
Let's have a look below at timeline of some major political events that occurred in Nigeria since 1960, that have shaped the polity to this present day of democratic governance.
**1960 - - Nigeria got full independence on October 1, 1960, and Jaja Wachukwu became first Speaker of Nigeria's first parliament which consisted of 32 seats.
**1963 - - In October 1963, Nigeria was proclaimed Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Nnamdi Azikiwe became first President of Nigeria.
1966 - - Couple by General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi ensued.
**1967 - - On May 29, 1967, Lt. Cold Emeka Ojukwu - then military governor of Nigeria's eastern region - emerged as majority leader of Igbo, and on May 30, 1967, declared independence of eastern region as Republic of Biafra.
**1970 - - Nigerian Civil war also known as Biafra War, which started in 1967, ended in 1970.
**1979 - - Alhaji Shehu Shagari was elected President of Nigeria's second republic.
**1983 - - Military coup occurred resulting in Major General Muhammadu Buhari becoming leader of Military council, but was soon afterwards overthrown by General Ibrahim Babangida in 1985.
**1993 - - Presidential election held on June 12 which saw overwhelming victory for Chief M.K.O. Abiola, but Babangida annulled the election on June 23, and later handed over to interim government in August 1993 to Chief Ernest Shonekan.
**1993 - - General Sani Abacha - then Defence Minister - forced Shonekan's resignation on Nov.17, 1993.
**1998 - - Abacha died of heart failure on June 8, 1998, and General AbdulSalami Abubakar took over the transition process to return to civilian rule. An updated 469-member National Assembly was witnessed in Nigeria.
**1999 - - Olusegun Obasanjo elected President, and sworn-in on May 29, 1999.
**2007 - - Umaru Yar'Adua elected President, with Goodluck Jonathan as Vice President.
**2010 - - Yar'Adua died due to undisclosed illness.
**2011 - - Goodluck Jonathan called for new election, and he was elected President.
**2015 - - Jonathan's re-election bid was lost, and Muhammadu Buhari elected as civilian President.
**2018 - - Buhari on June 12, 2018, announced shift in date from May 29 to June 12 as new Democracy Day. [scheduled dates via Wikipedia]
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| President Muhammadu Buhari |
Yes, there have been doubts, and still there are doubts, about enjoying the full true dividends of democracy with no false hope. Many critics have even tagged the current Nigerian number one citizen President Muhammadu Buhari as "Baba Go Slow" citing the slow pace of development across virtually all economic sectors during his first 4-year-term in office before he got re-elected for a second term.
Fight against corruption, resource mismanagement, war against insurgents (Boko Haram) are some of the national issues on the front-burner that would be further tackled in clear terms - but the government need the support of every citizen for collective progress. And in his unique show of humility, the President has assured Nigerians of better representation and improved infrastructural & economic dividends.
More importantly, citizens of this great nation must take responsibility and work collectively towards nation building. It's not just President Muhammadu Buhari's democracy - it is our democracy, so let's make it work for the better!
Feel free to share your thoughts!
