ASSESSING DEMOCRACY AS THE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT IN NIGERIA I was into a hot argument with a friend at Akure last weekend when he said Nigeria has no appropriate form of government, making it not to have future. At first, I never wanted to reply him but the statement, a country with no future keeps running on my mind, why would a youth be saying his country has no future when hes still alive. The question I asked him was, ogbeni,whats the best form of government do you think is suitable for the country? The above therefore spranged me up this morning to use the opportunity to debate on this salient topic called Democracy in Nigeria...if incase theres anyone doubting it. Democracy being a government of the people, by the people and for the people, is considered the freest and fairest form of government that have sustained (and is sustaining) the economies of many, different, world powers that have institutionalized it. It has brought many countries to abundant economic prosperity simply because they have fully obeyed its liberating principles. I believe that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat because it is nascent and, like every nascent democracy, it is riddled with many problems. These problems are the reason Nigeria is still trying to grapple with, or effectively implement, democracy’s liberating principles. Democracy remains what it is irrespective of any country that uses it. The major problem is that we have not mastered it.Experiencesof the military are still fresh in our memory. One of the major reasons we always feel we are in a crisis with democracy is what I strongly believe is the greatest advantage of democracy – democracy tend to get associated with scandals, it has the ability to welcome criticism, it gives people the freedom to air their opinions on issues. But alot of people consider this characteristic as an evidence of the failure of democracy in itself. They think scandals and undue criticisms are usually a distraction rather than an avenue for transformation; they allow anyone in the society to let off steam without always treating the basis of the cause of the scandals or even providing strategic solutions. And media houses use it to their advantage since panic sells far more newspaper than calm reflection does. The question for these people is simple;would they prefer a system of government that wouldn’t give its people the freedom to voice their opinions? Democracy gives people the freedom to air their views on critical issues – whether these views are useful or useless is a different case altogether. However, this freedom has limitations which must be followed strictly. Now, for Nigeria’s democracy to effectively work, Nigerians need to have confidence in it. They have to understand that nothing is really as bad as it seems. People have to understand that our democracy is an evolving process, and we can’t achieve everything at once. Even today’s advanced democratic governments had their fair share of problems in their beginnings. America, in all her advancements, just had a government shutdown few months ago.But many Nigerians belong to the school of thought that holds that the above pattern of thinking leads to complacency – the idea that things will sort themselves out if we wait on them. Others think that this pattern of thinking fosters impatience – the idea that if democracy is the best system of government why can’t it deliver results more quickly? While it is almost true the contemporary democracy is riddled with complacency and promotes impatience, my take on the solutions to the problems facing ourdemocratic process is that we should imbibe the spirit of tolerance. Tolerance for the problems is as important for our democracy as a desire for radical changes. I say this because I understand that without the desire for radical changes, a tolerance for irregularities allow the irregularities to get even worse. All we have to do is to strike a balance between these two, a process which I know will prove difficult considering our hasty characteristics. I understand that the future shape of our democratic politics is very unclear as we seem to be descending deep into the dark worlds of ethnic differences, cryonism, greed, terrorism and corruption, but these narratives does not mean we have to say we need to replace our democracy or frantically experiment with new political and economic arrangements. It would be disastrous. What Nigerian leaders should do to assure Nigerians that democracy is the best? Nigeria’s leaders must understand that the citizens need to see an even stronger Nigeria that fulfils its ambition to be among the regional and global leaders. To that end, Nigeria must strengthen its democratic institutions, advance economic reform,control corruption, professionalize its security forces, and effectively counter the threat of terrorism while respecting the human rights of all its citizens. Among the above mentioned steps,professionalization of security forces and countering terrorism are hugely important in every democratic process –whether nascent or advanced, because they are the foundations upon which every thriving democracy/sector lie. The Governement should involve the youths and as well as provide Air patrol teams over the Nigerian borders. The Nigerian Government also need to take a comprehensive approach to insecurity across the country. And that approach, in my view, has to include addressing every region’s legitimate political, economic, and social needs, as well as implementing a professional security response that respects human rights. These steps, if followed, I believe, would provide the social satisfaction and economic wealth needed by many Nigerians. Readers, without any iota of doubt, democracy is the best for Nigeria...and any country on the path to greatness. #Lets work on it...and not fold our arms #Goodmorning...have a pleasant day ahead!!
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 07:10:12 +0000
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