Democracy and the Failed Nation of
Nigeria
By
Ibrahim Mohammed
iymohammed@yahoo.com
The
survival of a nation depends on the good its leadership can bring to
bear on the people of the nation. No nation is guaranteed continuous
existence if her citizens wallow in abject poverty especially if such
a nation is identified as having the potential human and material
resources that guarantee greatness.
This
writing is not going to make any attempt to define democracy. The
believe is that good leadership can be achieved without necessarily
launching a nation into the part of democracy. However sweet and
assuring this believe might be, democracy has about 90% assurance of
producing credible leadership.
Nigeria
in its 48 years of independence has been able to evolve a different
kind of its own democracy. If democracy to a layman is government of
the people, by the people, for the people, Nigerian brand of democracy
has given world intellectuals and local and international political
think-tanks a reason to think that their basic or elementary
definition of democracy is, after all, questionable and inadequate.
Ours is
a democracy that thrive upon filth. Leaders are selected rather than
elected, electorates are subjugated rather than liberated; and results
of votes cast are cooked up in someone’s living room rather than
collated from the honest votes of the electorates. Individuals are
maimed and killed each time they attempt to defend their rights to
bring to power leaders of their choice. “Ewu” goats are appointed to
mar the success of free and fair elections. They are prepared to be
excellent “cooks” who prepare magnificent “meals” called results of
elections from their kitchens called INEC or SIEC. Some of these ‘ewu’
goats tagged themselves conscientious goats who would not announce
results that kick against their beliefs and conscience just to be seen
and heard , after series of consultations with head beneficiary of
their nefarious acts, who lives in a rock, and head of all goats who
manages the head kitchen, announcing result that kicked against the
conscience and popular will of the people.
The
central point of this write up is connection between Nigerian
democracy and what international scholars called failed state. Joel
Midgal as quoted by John Emeka Akude defines a nation state as:
an organization composed of numerous agencies led and coordinated by
the
state’s leadership (executive authority) that has the ability or
authority to make
and implement the binding rules for all the people as well as the
parameters of
rules making for other social organizations in a given territory,
using force if
necessary to have its way.
The
ability of the leadership to lead and coordinate the numerous
agencies that make up the state must be gained from the detachment of
the office of the leadership from the occupant of the office. The
leader should not be the office, but the office must be the leader.
The office has the physical control of the territory that make the
nation state, make collective decisions, provide reasonable public
services, and be able to interact with other nation states as a full
member of the international community. All these are indicators of a
stable and enduring nation state.
When a
nation state through the office of its leadership can no longer
perform its basic responsibility of provision of security and
development, and has no effective control over its territory and
borders, this nation state is termed a failed state. It is a failed
nation state because it CAN NO LONGER REPRODUCE THE CONDITIONS FOR ITS
OWN EXISTENCE. Do we have any reason not to see Nigeria as a failed
state?
The
central government is so weak or ineffective that it has little or no
control over some parts of its territory. Niger- Delta is a clear
example. The government has lost control that the only thing left to
her is to waste the lives of innocent citizens all in the name of
fighting the militants.
It can
no longer provide public services: our hospitals (if we have any to
call hospitals) are worst than General Sani Abacha’s “mere consulting
clinics”, public educational services are not offered any more. Our
universities and colleges are not better than playgrounds where the
children of the common Nigerians go to play until their teachers/
lecturers are tired and find a way to send them back to their parents
through endless strikes. Where are our airports today? If you take a
leisure walk to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, I’m
not sure one would allow his pet bird to take off and land there.
Our
roads are death traps. The highways and all the “B” and “C” roads,
except perhaps in few states, where the leadership is becoming more
responsive, are no longer motorable all the year round. A few days ago
in Kano State a family lost 22 of its members to a road accident.
Reason was simply because a driver was trying to dodge potholes.
Power
supply is no longer an issue for public discussion. Steady power
supply in Nigeria is equated to asking a resident Nigerian astronaut
to go to the space. Nigerian comedian, Bright Okocha a.k.a Basket
Mouth, said the case of power supply is so bad that when the then NEPA
now PHCN seized light and one lights on a candle, NEPA officials come
to one’s house and blow out the candle. All that is needed is total
lights out.
FIFA is
threatening to cancel Nigeria’s bid to host the Under 17 World Cup
because we cannot provide stadia capable of hosting the world. Nigeria
who in the 70’s hosted the whole of Africa in FESTAC 77 cannot host an
Under 17 World Cup competition. I guess we do not have to worry about
football. It is not our priority now. Our priority is where the money
goes; our pockets.
It is
only a failed nation state of Nigeria that allows widespread
corruption and criminality. Discussing corruption in Nigeria is
closely related to discussing NOTHING. It is no longer news to hear
the low and mighty involve in corruption. In fact, the apt one is in
corrupt practices the more respected one becomes. Where do you start
from: the presidency (executive) or the senate? What about House of
Representatives? Where do you place officers and men of the Nigeria
Police Force? You do not need to leave the Custom, Immigration, Road
Safety, Nigerian Army, NAFDAC and PHCN out. Our teachers, lecturers
and students are glaring examples of what corruption is
like in Nigeria. States and local government officials are not
exempted. The list is inexhaustible.
Crime is
so rife that those involve in the act have perfected their actions to
such an extent that it may take the combine effort of CIA, KGB,
Scotland Yard Police, MOSSAD to crack down a criminal in Nigeria.
Armed robbers display their James Bond (007) like tricks as if one is
watching stunts in a movie. They have taken control of banks, roads
and lately markets. The case of Thursday/ Friday Wuse Market robbery
attack speaks volumes. Cult activities are other examples one can cite
on the issue of criminality.
Only a
failed nation state of Nigeria will allow its citizens to
involuntarily move away from the country. A walk around embassies and
consulates of foreign countries in Nigeria would amaze you. Nigerians
in their droves are ready to relocate to any part of the world for as
long as it is not Nigeria. Brain drain is another indicator of mass
movement away from Nigeria. With all the ill-treatment some Nigerians
receive in some countries – South Africa, Malaysia for example-
countries that would not have stood close to Nigeria were Nigeria not
a failed state, they better live abroad or overseas than live in
Nigeria.
It is
only in a failed nation of Nigeria that a government would come up
with a policy that would deliberately devalue her currency – the
Naira. The government cannot regulate the market which by extension
means regulating prices for the comfort of the common man. Industrials
die every day. The devaluation of the Naira, inability to control
inflation and industrials folding up every day are all pointers to
sharp economic decline – a central characteristics of a failed nation
state like Nigeria.
How has
the Nigerian brand of democracy helped to throw our beloved nation
into this quagmire and making her rank among the topmost nations who
are at the alert stage of failed nations according to the Fund for
Peace, a United States think- tank? The answer is simply.
A truly
democratic society must separate its political power away from its
economic power. Individuals must be seen to clearly control political
power and other individuals should control economic power. This way a
symbiotic relationship is created. The political power holders know
they have to deliver peace and stability and functioning
infrastructure if they must be supported by the economic power holders
who guarantee the existence of the political class through financing
of public administration through internal economic activities that
provide taxes to the government.
In
Nigeria the power of the political class is determined by how
economically strong one is. Just as one’s economic status is
determined by one’s political power. It is clear that the more
economically strong one is the more politically powerful one becomes,
and vice versa. This explains why our democracy just would not work.
The elites will do whatever it takes to have, control and remain in
power because to them it is the surest way to economic “breakthrough”.
Since a clearly defined divide cannot be made between Nigerian
political class and the economic class, individuals at the helm of
affairs do not feel obliged or obligated to any other class. So the
absence of the economic class (distinct from political class), who by
design of true democracy forces the political class to deliver good
governance, allows the political class to eat their cake and have it.
The
common man is not allowed to institute the kind of leadership he
desires and for that reason does not have the right to demand good
governance. However sad this may be for the common man and Nigeria in
general HOPE is not lost. Hope is not lost because Nigeria, by the
divine design of the MERCIFUL GOD, is for the political and economic
elites as well as the common man. The politico- economic elites have
failed Nigeria and Nigerians and have paradoxically launched Nigeria
among the “ WORST FAILED” nation states in world. Behind every pain
the Nigerian common man has suffered and is suffering there will come
a relief. This is the promise of God and His words shall come to pass.
Interestingly, God’s relief comes after He has given signs that it is
coming. For Nigeria, the signs are: our current executive, especially
at the national level, most of the legislators, and the so called
board of trustees of PDP do not mean Nigeria well; and the gate to
change needed in Nigeria is now open. I mean 2011 is just some meters
away from us. Our relief is in our hands already. If we stand to
change the status quo, God will always be there for us.
There
are two ways to getting the relief, i.e. the needed change.
Theoretical solution and practical solution. Theoretically, which
unfortunately has never worked in Nigeria, requires that:
a)
our society be restructured to create
two interdependent classes – the political class which would depend on
the economic class to provide the needed taxes derivable from its
internal economic activities; and an economic class which would depend
on the political class to provide and pursue economic activities by
provision of basic amenities that guarantee healthy economic growth.
b)
Our dependence on foreign assisted
development has not helped in the kind of development we need,
therefore, our leaders must look inward. IMF and World Bank are not
the way out.
Above
can only be achieved by instituting a genuine democracy that allows
respect for rule of law and human rights. And this brings in the
practical solution to our myriad of problems and neglect. Nigerian
situation, historically, has proved that peaceful enthronement of
genuine democracy and good governance through the choice of credible
leaders – leaders of the choice of the majority, is almost impossible.
The way to achieving this is the use of force. Nigerian political
system speaks only the language of the UNCIVILIZED. So if we must
institute a genuine and lasting democracy, we must be willing to speak
the language our leaders understand – the uncivilized language.
Language of violence.
2011 can
and should give us the leaders we need and the leaders of our choice.
To achieve this, the common man must:
a)
not allow his vote to go uncounted. We
must not vote and turn our backs and allow the ‘ewu’ goats at INEC
and SIEC give us their results.
b)
We must be willing to face the forces of
coercion used by the politico- economic elites to perpetrate their
continuous existence in power. We must match the police and army force
to force; but where they demand peace, we give peace.
c)
If a conscientious “ewu” goat announces
a leader we are sure we did not vote for, we must make sure he/she
does not occupy the seat. And where he/she succeeds, we must make the
office unbearable for him/her.
d)
We must learn that a healthy political
climate is achieved through meaningful and peaceful protests and or
demonstrations. When a leader of our choice seems to be going off the
track, we can bring him back by peaceful demonstration or protest or
demand our seat back.
In
conclusion, we need to note that even if ours is a completely failed
nation state through the actions and or inactions of our leaders who
feel theirs is a guaranteed continuous existence in power even if they
do not deliver good governance, we can bounce back to vibrant and
enduring nation state. We can only be resilient enough if we believe
that the gate to our relief is widely open come 2011, and we are
willing to take our common destiny into our hands by changing the
status quo. It is not only in the America of Obama that “change we
can”, change we also CAN in Nigeria and we must have the change in
2011.
|