Military-Cracy or Democracy In far away Prague, Czech Republic, David Mark, President of the Nigerian Senate and a retired Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army affirmed a few days back that Military rule in Nigeria was gone forever. The affirmation appears heartwarming especially if it is binding on Mark’s successors in the military. If however, our Senate President was suggesting that Nigeria is now a democracy, not many would agree with him. Although those in government today do not wear military uniforms, democracy should never be identified by the dress code of its practitioners. In Nigeria, there are many non- uniformed political leaders who through their acts and utterances are quite distant from the attributes of democracy. We can only pray that anti-democratic forces particularly those outside the military would allow Nigeria’s democracy to grow. ‘Government of the people by the people and for the people’ – a phrase credited to former American President Abraham Lincoln- has become perhaps the most popular understanding of the word, democracy. It is however a word that has been thoroughly subjected to misuse as totalitarian regimes and dictatorships alike are known to seek popular support by pinning democratic labels upon themselves. But the truth is that democracy is not a matter for claim. Rather, it is a set of ideas and principles with a set of practices and procedures designed to institutionalize freedom. In short, democracy entails the sovereignty of the people where the government is based on the consent of the governed through free and fair elections. Question: Is military rule over in Nigeria?
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:36:35 +0000
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