As Nigeria celebrates 26 years of unbroken democratic leadership, it’s expedient for both the leadership and the led to evaluate our journey and ask ourselves the pertinent questions: how far and how well?
Truly, our democratic journey has been anything but smooth. It’s been bumpy and arduous. Without mincing words, we have largely lost several golden opportunities to deepen our democracy but we have sacrificed these opportunities on the altar of clannishness, greed, religious bigotry and tribalism. The result being that rather than grow our democracy and strengthen our institutions, we are a nation deeply divided along those schisms and perpetually on the brink of collapse and disintegration.
The benefits of the June 12, 1993, presidential elections clearly won by the late M. K. O. Abiola, when Nigerians spoke in unison and rejected those debilitating drawbacks that have held us down, were jettisoned and tribe, religion and ethnic biases took backstage, have been lost on us. We still speak ethnicity, we still emphasise religion and we still insist on nepotism and encourage violence.
However, on June 12, 1993, we all filed out to perform our civic duties unhurt, we went out without fear and we had fun and expressed our intention and choice at the ballot.
We spoke our desire to see the end to military dictatorship, we expressed our desire to end impunity in an unmistakable manner. We chose our choice in such a peaceful and unambiguous way that the military led by General Ibrahim Babangida, and his junta regime, was left in disarray and utter disbelief. They just must stop it by any means. And stop it, they did. Sad.
Whatever their reasons were have been left in the realms of conjecture, they have been giving all kinds of feeble and lame reasons for annulling what till this day, remains the freest and fairest elections in the history of this nation.
Gen. Babangida has remained in his dungeon of guilt, shame and pity and all he does from time to time is try, albeit unsuccessfully, to pass the blame around. Blaming everyone else except himself for what is completely his decision.
He simply dropped the ball and will live to rue that missed opportunity to unite Nigeria and set the nation on the trajectory of growth and development, where Nigerians would be more interested in the content of the character of our leaders and not their tribe, religion, or ethnicity.
It took President Muhammadu Buhari to fully recognise June 12 as the ideal democracy day and not May 29, declared by President Olusegun Obasanjo, a fellow Egba man and schoolmate of the late Abiola. Indeed, Obasanjo completely failed to recognise the late politician.
So fast forward, 26 years after, what have we learnt and what hope do we really have to insist that democracy has come to stay? Can any of our democratic institutions survive an integrity test? This question is key to securing our democracy. I refuse to align with those who think democracy cannot be truncated in this country.
I do not desire it because I can look forward to seeing the end of an elected president who has disappointed in office, but I cannot say the same of a military head of state. However, the surest and safest way to secure this democracy that costs a lot in terms of human lives and all, is to impress upon our leaders not to make the other option attractive due to bad governance, poor representation, intolerance of opposition, insensitivity and corrupt practices.
These are some of the punchlines and familiar refrains used by these people to gain acceptance of the people. The military will always ride on the emotions of the people on the streets. That is where they try to seek legitimacy and validation.
To ensure that this democracy of ours is guided jealously, we must not take for granted the emotive feelings of the people on the streets. We cannot be living in two separate worlds, one for the ruling class and the other for the hoi polloi.
Ours is a society where miscreants, street urchins and law breakers get recognition and are incentivised, while those with the right qualifications are hungry and out of job.
It insults the sensibilities of the ordinary people who can barely survive seeing our leaders cruising in limousines in an endless convoy of exquisite cars and private jets like they are going out of fashion.
It’s unacceptable that the political class would be exhibiting recklessly, ostentatious lifestyles while millions of our youths roam the streets aimlessly.
It’s insensitive on the part of our political office holders to be looting the treasury and stashing away billions of public funds for their unborn generations while millions of Nigerians cannot afford prescription drugs and do not know where their next meal will come from, especially among the elderly.
An alarming population of Nigerians are daily dehumanised and reduced to beggars.
Much as I share in the optimism of President Tinubu on June 12 during his address at the joint session of the National Assembly, I am quick to tell him that the task before him and his administration is beyond mere rhetoric and niceties. He has a damn tough and herculean task ahead of him.
He told us of his history in opposition and the importance and relevance of dissenting views in democracy, however, he needs to do more to prove that.
He spoke of his desire to secure the nation. He must show that desire by not leaving any stone unturned in this fight against insecurity. Whoever is linked, no matter how remotely or important the person is, must be brought to justice to send the right signals.
He also recognised some of our fallen heroes and heroines. This has taken 26 years to come. That is very commendable. But I would have been more impressed if I had seen the names Ayo Adebanjo and Dele Momodu and others on the honour list.
I am not convinced that those who made that list either as journalists or activists or nationalists are more deserving than them. That would have sent the right signals and further proved his claim on the place of opposition in democracy.
His choice of the parliament for the address was a masterstroke, but the parliamentarians too must realise that they must rise above the theatrics and insensitivity which they have mostly exhibited in recent times, to maintain the dignity and robustness that are the hallmark of that hallowed chamber.
We have a duty to collectively protect our democracy because anything outside of it is unimaginable.
Happy 26th democracy anniversary to us all.
