Nigeria’s Democracy: The Journey So Far

 

As you probably already know, Democracy Day is an annual celebration in Nigeria which takes place on May 29^th.

Here are some more facts about the public holiday to add to your bank of knowledge. If you’re new to Nigeria, this is certainly a history lesson you don’t want to miss:

1. The first Democracy Day was on May 29, 1999 when former military leader and then President-elect, Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as the President of Nigeria.

2. The first Democracy Day also signified the end of almost 30 years of military rule since 1966, with a brief stint of democracy between 1979 and 1983 with Alh. Shehu Shagari in power.

3. The first Democracy Day – and generally, the practice of democracy since 1999 – took place after Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the last military leader of Nigeria promised a transition to democracy. In line with this, a new constitution was adopted in May 5, 1999.

4. The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) actually opposed the use of the date May 29 in 1999. This is the umbrella body of pro-democracy and civil society groups that had been demanding for the actualisation of the June 12 presidential mandate.

5. The date was also opposed by some Nigerians who pointed out its similarity to the date Chukwuemeka O. Ojukwu declared the ‘Secession and Declaration of the Sovereign State of Biafra’ and the day ‘On Aburi We Stand’ speech was made; on the 30^th of May, 1967 and 1969 respectively.

The journey so far, 
 
Nigeria since its return to civilian rule in 1999 was accompanied by the sweet aroma of a system called “Democracy”. This historic system had found its way back into the Nigerian polity after numerous interruptions by the “men in khaki” and horrendous coup d’états.
Democracy was ushered back on May 29th, 1999 by the then military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, a man who would go down forever in history as the father of the fourth republic, as he did not only willingly transit power to a democratically elected President, Olusegun Obasanjo but also provided a constitution which continues to serve as a guide and embodiment of the virtues and system of governance in the Nigerian state till date.
Democracy in a lay man terms could be referred to as “citizens’ freedom” but a broader perspective to its main composition would inform the premise that for democracy to thrive, there must be five basic features which are; periodic free and fair elections, a vibrant opposition, rule of law/supremacy of the constitution, an independent judiciary and respect for human rights. All these basically help to ensure that citizens are the game makers and changers when it comes to deciding who rules or doesn’t rule them.
This is perhaps why democracy is one of the most sought out forms of government.
Nigeria in this democratic process can still be described as nascent when compared to the “Big Boys” of the advanced first world countries, based on their achievements of the key features listed above.

Having gone through 16 years of uninterrupted democratic civilian rule, we seem to be making progress with periodic elections that have began to gradually earn the “free and fair” status, the emergence of a vibrant opposition party who have for the first time dethroned the ruling party at the helm of affairs hence upgrading Nigeria from a one-party dominance state to a multi-party democracy. Some progress has also been made in the rule of law, human rights and partial dependence of the Judiciary, and we may very well be on our way to consolidating democratic ethos in our polity.

In conclusion, though we have had our hitches in the past, and some exist in our present and perhaps future, we must ensure that we make our democracy work through citizen participation in governance, policy making and implementation processes which would be the only pre-requisite for having good governance, transparency, innovation and accountability.

What do you think are the fundamental weaknesses Of The Nigerian democracy since 1999 till date?