Nigeria’s Democracy In Question Or In Danger?

How do we best identify danger? It is when we are faced with everything unpleasant going on in Nigeria presently, and still call it a ‘Democracy’. That is how we know that we are in danger.

Only a few days ago, there was a reported case of militants killing at least 25 people. These individuals were reported to have razed houses, shops, and a palace in a town in Nigeria’s southwest. However, no clear effort has been made to tackle this insurgency because the government for some reason does not deem the security of its citizens as a priority as opposed to other matters like Twitter banning.

To aggravate matters, the growing insurgency in Nigeria has reached its peak. In the North, thousands of people are abducted, killed, and kidnapped daily, and it is amidst all this that we adjudge to practice the term “Democracy.’

When a child is born, the commemoration of the child’s birth is done every year in felicitations and loud songs, however, when the case is reverted, and such felicitations are held amidst political turmoil, economic decline, mass insecurity, and unhealthy divisions, such celebrations do not remind anyone of anything good (Democracy) but rather, it only reminds of a slathering of political good that would have been if things had been done better by all, both at the highest positions of power and even at the rung of the ladder.

June 12 is a day declared by the Nigerian government to mark and commemorate the posterity of Democracy and its unfailing liberation of the people and country from the unbearable clutches of colonialization. June 12 originally was marked Democratic day because it is significantly a day of great value in the history of Nigeria. it is the date of Nigeria’s acclaimed freest and fairest election, held in 1993.

A day that reminds Nigerians of the labor of their heroes’ past in contribution to the development of the country. However, while this day which is supposed to reflect the beauty of Democracy and the people’s appreciation for independence should have been revered and anticipated in good faith, we see that the reverse is the case as only recently, past celebrations have been marked by general apathy. It is indeed no longer an indication that the air in Nigeria is restricted and filled with political strife and tension as the unity of the country strains between a rock and a hard place.

Only recently, the climate of political tension has resurfaced Making one pose the irrefutable question of whether Democracy in Nigeria is not truly in peril and near utmost danger as June 12, democracy day has been declared a day of Nationwide protest against the Democratic rulers and leaders of the Nigerian government.

Amongst the many reasons for this declaration of protest is Nigerians intention to register their disgust and dismay over the prevalence and government’s continued apathy towards the incessant killings, insurgencies, ravaging the country’s news headlines every day. From banditry, human rights violation, insecurity, rising inflation, and most recently, the Twitter ban, there’s a lot of other frightening circumstances that Nigerians have had to contend with for a long time in a seemingly ‘democratic’ system.

The ultimate enemy of Democracy is a dictatorship. A dictatorship is a form of government characterized by a single leader or group of leaders and little or no tolerance for political pluralism or independent media – Wikipedia.

Since independence, Nigeria has had a weak hold on her Democracy. On the 15th of January 1966, the first Military dictatorship began and Nigerians began to suffer like never before. The Military which had good intentions of ridding the Country of corruption became even more entrenched in it than the colonial government officials they despised.

The entire military dictatorship was aptly described in the writing of the late Ken Saro Wiwa, an activist who was murdered for speaking up against the military government.

“One military dictator, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, defined the true Nigerian this way: Every Nigerian had a price and all you had to do was to find the right price; if however, you found a Nigerian who had no price and could therefore not be bought, he or she was not a true Nigerian and had to be carefully watched. Another military dictator, Sani Abacha, had a far more sinister take on this matter: Every Nigerian had a price; any woman or man that had no price and could not be bought was not a Nigerian and had to be jailed or killed or both. I know of no literary testament from our unhappy country that goes more to the heart of this particular darkness than this volume containing the last writings of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa.”

If history is not enough to warn us, then perhaps our present can. In the past weeks, Nigerians have asked themselves this question with greater trepidation and urgency. Are we in a Democracy? The recent banning of the social media app- Twitter; The daily killings of innocent citizens and the fast dwindling economy buttress the need to ask this question.

The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari in his interview with Arise TV talked about the recent EndSars protest against bad governance as a threat to the Democracy in Nigeria. According to him, “the young people wanted to come here (Aso Rock) and remove me”

He also said “What we have invested when we are together, how are we going to share it out. How fair are we going to be to ourselves and try and see our young population? If we cut ourselves into pieces, can we win the confidence of investors, good investors, people that would come and employ people, produce goods and services, and from taxation from employment. I don’t like how the Nigerian Elite is allowing ignorant people to go around all over the place.
We have so much to learn and so much to guide together than to try to disorganize the way of thinking that when they become a republic things will be alright. Let them see how long it took us between 1960 and now, we consolidated it.

Through the silence of the President and the Implementation of draconian policies, we can surely say that the Nigerian Democracy is in grave danger of falling apart.

Democracy Day in Nigeria

June 12 is Democracy day in Nigeria in commemoration of the democratic election of MKO Abiola on June 12, 1993, in Nigeria’s freest and fairest elections in history. The June 12 Protest has begun in various states today. Things are not looking up as the law enforcement agencies have been deployed to major universities and other parts of the country.

The question of why Nigerians are protesting on June 12 Democracy day, is no longer a mystery that is far from home as anyone can take a cursory glance at the frightening issues at stake in the country, and see that Nigerians have swallowed the bitter pills of insurgencies, genocide killings, banditry attacks, herders raids, for so long, and it’s only needful that such a protest is carried out at such a timely day in the history of the country.

The demands of the protest are similar and unambiguous, and as Comrade Deji Adeyanju stated in an interview, it is clear why we resolved to protest on June 12.

“We are out to protest and demand that Buhari-led administration stop negotiating with Boko Haram and bandits; stop killing innocent people in South East; stop attacking protesters and respect Human Rights; don’t increase fuel price; reverse the Twitter ban, and reduce high food prices…..: “We are going on protest on June 12 to make President Muhammadu Buhari know that Nigerians cannot take it anymore because of the frightening level of insecurity in North West, North East, North Central, South West, and SouthEast regions of the country.

Some other Nigerians have taken to their platforms to speak up freely:

“The Nigerian State has declared war on her citizens and we must rise in millions with every resistance available. #June 12 Protest is a historical duty to save what is left of this country,”

“A revolution is possible only when we’re ready to do the work. The oppression continues until then…#June 12 Protest”

Even Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, had lent his voice to the June 12 protests by stating as follows;

“Good morning, oppressed citizens! We urge you to please join us nationwide/worldwide to engage in massive street action on June 12, 2021. #June 12 Protest #BuhariMustGo #Revolution Now,”.

To clarify their points further, these human activists who have called for a nationwide protest on June 12 against the Buhari administration have put up 14 clear-cut critical demands in their publicity posters and fliers.

Amongst them are the demands to

• Abolish the 1999 constitution,
• End banditry
• End terrorism.
• (Isa) Pantami must go (Minister of Communications and Digital Economy who has expressed sympathy for terrorists
• Free all detained activists
• End insecurity
• Justice for all EndSARS victims
• Free Kogi 2 (Two anti-President Muhammadu Buhari protesters – Larry Emmanuel and Victor Anene Udoka – who have been detained in Kogi State)
• Buhari Must Go
• Revert electricity tariffs
• End ASUP (Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics) strike
• Revert fuel price
• Revert party deregistration
• Free Nicholas Mbah.

As with every case of national concerns, some individuals have taken to remaining quiet and indifferent on the matter especially after the bloody event of the #End SARS Protest and #Lekki Tollgate massacre that had led to the bloody death of several young Nigerians who took to the streets to protest against bad governance in 2020.

It is no longer news in Nigeria that the protest had been infiltrated by hoodlums and thugs suspected to have been hired by the government to discredit, infiltrate, and destroy the intentions of the End SARS protest. Thereby ending it in a bloody massacre and killing bloody protesters.

Given this, the US government has also identified the possible dangers of rallying a peaceful protest in ‘Democratic’ Nigeria, by advising its US citizens to stay off protest grounds and to avoid possible areas of demonstrations by exercising caution and maintaining a low profile in such environments.

“Police presence and response can be expected nationwide, including in Abuja where government events are scheduled to celebrate the national holiday, and in Lagos where simultaneous protests are planned.

“The likely locations for the protests in Abuja will be at Unity Fountain (Hilton Hotel area), Wuse, Berger Roundabout, Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Airport Road, and British Circle. In Lagos, the likely locations for protests will be Lekki Toll Gate and Gani Fawehinmi Park. Calls for the protests suggest they may begin as early as 07:00 a.m,” the chancery wrote.

What’s the Way Forward vs the Nigerian Government’s Response To The June 12 Protest.

The federal government and authorities in response have indicated their clear disapproval as regards any form of the protest—however peaceful.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government. In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, he stated that any agitation that threatens to question the national peace and unity should be shunned at once.

“As we mark another Democracy Day in the history of our dear country, let us reflect on the efforts of our founding fathers and ensure that Nigeria remains one United and Indivisible Entity. No development can take place in an acrimonious environment,” he said.

“With the challenges we face in Nigeria today, I see an opportunity for us not to break up or break down but to break open; open up to ourselves in truth so that we may appreciate each other, understand each other, honor each other and live together in peace and prosperity.”

Aregbesola, the minister noted that Nigeria— with the concerted efforts being put in place by President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration to secure the lives and property of Nigerians and stabilize the economy—would be a haven of peace, unity, and progress if all citizens love their neighbors and embrace the spirit of brotherliness.

“There will surely be light at the end of the tunnel.”

Hopefully, there will be no violence and the demands of Nigerian citizens will be met. Today, it is important to remember that the true threat to democracy is a dictatorship. Happy Democracy Day!!!

All images are sourced from twitter.com