Nigeria’s Chaotic Democracy: Unpacking its Many Ills

This week is a tough one for me. Pondering over a topic to write on took away my precious time. Should I write on Sowore, who addressed our dear President in the most unsalutary manner, a president of any country would be addressed? In his reaction to President Tinubu’s claim that since he assumed duty as president no more corruption in Nigeria while addressing an audience in Brazil, Sowore wrote: “This criminal actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!

Many argued that Sowore is uncouth and that he went overboard in his opposition to the Tinubu administration and attack on Tinubu’s personality. I honestly cringed when I read Sowore’s post. I soliloquized: “What audacity to call the President of the Giant of Africa ‘this criminal’ because of his alleged audacity to lie shamelessly!” I said again to myself: “This is happening because what we have now in Nigeria is chaotic democracy.”

I have sympathy for President Tinubu for being addressed as a criminal and I somehow feel how those who criticized Sowore for being uncouth felt. But I am curious to know why no one really thinks Sowore lied in his reaction to the no-more-corruption-in-Nigeria’s claim. Just as I cringed at the way Sowore described our President, Tinubu’s claim also made me cringed. I wanted to discuss this further, then a part of me whispered to me that I should write about the carcass of democracy that was finally buried in Benue State. 

Anyone who has been following recent happenings in Benue State should know that there is no pretension about the absence of democracy in the State. In Benue State, democracy has been killed. Now it is dead. Let me steer away from discussing insecurity in the State. In an article titled “Benue Bloodshed: In Defense of Tinubu’s Remarks“, I wrote about the I-don’t-care attitude displayed by the State Governor on the issue of insecurity when the State had the privilege of being visited by President Tinubu. The theatrical display, few days ago, in the State House of Assembly is a renewed revelation that democracy has not only failed in Benue State; it has died. In Benue State, we learnt that what is meant by the three arms of government is actually three in one (3 in 1). 

Under the rulership of the reverend-father-turned governor in Benue State, the concept of trinity seems to be in operation. The Father (the Executive), the Son (Legislature), and the Holy Spirit (the Judiciary). In that divine order and by divine decree, the son (the Speaker) must be loyal to the father (the Governor). The Speaker had to resign, not because he did what ought not to be done but for being stubborn to do what ought to be done. He refused to approve the Governor’s commissioner nominees, particularly one university law lecturer. The House received a deluge of complaints about the alleged sadist who had allegedly ‘destroyed’ the lives of many students in the university before he was nominated and presented to the House for approval.

The Speaker, following the outcome of investigation, decided not to approve the Governor’s nominee for the well-being of the State. This surprisingly turned out to be a serious crime. If it is a must for the House to approve governor’s nominees, why the need for the formality? The Referend Father cannot tolerate the disloyalty of a Son (the Speaker) in Benue Trinitarian Democracy. The Son had to quickly resign from his speakership before the “divine wrath” envelopes him. In fact, no time to type. The resignation had to be handwritten. Even with the speed of his resignation, he could not completely escape the “divine wrath.” He was slammed suspension.

I wanted to go into more details, then I thought of writing about ASUU protest and the looming strike. But to conclude the Benue chaotic democracy episode, a new Speaker was immediately elected in a manner that is best described as the last shall be the first and the first shall the last. Only those that are familiar with how the new Speaker was elected will understand. Anyway, the rest is history.

Back to ASUU. One of the lies being peddled by this government and touted as achievement is its bragging about two years without an ASUU strike. One can pardon the ignorance of whoever thinks this is an achievement because it is difficult not to fall for government propaganda—especially a government that is very adept at propaganda. But to set the record straight, the working and the living conditions of university staff have never been more terrible and terrifying than now. I wonder where ASUU got that resilience from. I mean the union ought to have shut down public universities since the first six months of this administration so that the public (or rather the world) would know that the government is virtually doing nothing. To add salt to injury, the government is asking the overwhelmingly indebted staff of universities to apply for loan. I wrote some weeks ago that ASUU should reject the malevolent loan. I am happy ASUU did not disappoint me and other like-minded individuals. 

When I listened the lie that no agreement between ASUU and the government, and that there was only proposal, I giggled. I recalled writing an article three years ago titled “ASUU Strike: A Highlight of the lies of Adamu Adamu.” In that article, I chronicled the lies of the then Minister of Education. Maybe it is a curse that our political appointees must lie to defend their paymasters. No agreement between ASUU and the government!? But I think there is a need to protect one’s integrity while in office since officeholders will be out of office one day. Where is Adamu Adamu today? Is anyone even talking about Chris Ngige anymore? I learnt they are still alive. That is life. 

Except if ASUU would act chaotically because our democracy is chaotic, I don’t think it needs any negotiation with government. ASUU, in my opinion, has only three options. It should continue to exhibit resilience while its members manage their terrible condition, even as that condition continues to deteriorate. It should shut down the universities until the government proves to be responsive and responsible. The third option might be difficult because of the pulverizing poverty in the country. But it is still an option. ASUU members should massively resign and japa so that the government can ultimately privatize all public universities. But negotiation with government? No. No. No.

I wanted to write more on ASUU but something snatched my attention again. It was the news of how the government finally shamed that teenager from Yobe State who allegedly won the TeenEagle competition. After demands from different quarters that this teenager be celebrated like the Nigerian Super Falcons, the government finally had her  invited to Abuja to shame her with a gift of 200k. I just hope the money will be enough for her to get back home without needing to ask her parents or school management for more to complete her air ticket. What I expected the government to do is to reject the achievement as phantom, given the insinuation that it is not real. But to shame her with 200k!? No. 

To conclude, is the government encouraging Nigerians to japa? Or is it discouraging us? I really don’t understand. This hundred percent increase for the renewal of international passport took many by surprise. If I am right, I think the government is trying to discourage us from japaing. Perhaps, government thought that after all, prices of staples are crashing in markets. Why should anyone japa? Kudos to the government if the crashed prices of staples is the outcome of its efforts. Can someone tell our rulers that we can still not afford the foods whose prices they boast to have reduced?

Abdulkadir Salaudeen

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com