THE advent of civil rule in 1999 threw up an irascible political leadership that has progressively put Nigeria on a steady decline in all parameters of governance. Government has time and again, unconsciously left the generality of Nigerians since then in a constant state of denial that neglects the basic needs of many citizens.
Sadly, Nigeria at the federal level has expensive political leaders. This confused, docile, dishonest and insensitive class is vastly unsuitable, undesirable and grossly incompetent in governance.
Nigeria does not need a bicameral legislature. Members of the National Assembly (469) are the highest paid politicians in the world. Nigeria is not richer than America or Britain. Oddly, Nigerian senators (109 as against American senators, 100) each earns more than the American president, Joe Biden. Each senator of the National Assembly takes home every month twenty-one million naira (N21,000,000). This huge sum includes salary and enormous allowances paid together as monthly earning.
Our perverted presidential system is recklessly and outrageously expensive. It rapaciously drains resources and feeds directly into a culture of corruption, ineptitude and impunity. Besides, our legislators should be on part time basis. The parliamentary system of government is better, cheaper, easier, less costly and more accountable. Nigeria will be better with parliamentary system of government. This is the system in Britain. Many Nigerians need it now. Nigeria deserves it urgently.
Nigeria is not in good shape. Our many notoriously unreliable and greedy politicians have generally and more specifically within the last 25 years after 1999 gullibly and vicariously removed Nigeria from the hill of progress and taken her to the precipice of anarchy, chaos, disaster and doom. Many Nigerian politicians have no discipline and no knowledge which add value to life and no life can have any value without discipline. An elite parasitic political class of charlatans, liquidators, megalomaniacs, reprobates, unrepentant rabble-rousers and scallywags majorly peculates Nigeria’s wealth. A free society that cannot help many people who are poor cannot save a few people who are rich. The sudden premature removal of subsidy without any tangible plan threw Nigerians into hardship, misery and lamentation. Almost everybody in Nigeria today is miserable.
Nigeria is currently unhealthy more specifically in terms of security and economy. In other words, security and economy are gravely unhealthy in distressed Nigeria. Interestingly, every government in a country legally and morally owes the citizens two essential factors, namely, security and prosperity. Sadly, misrule by the elite in our polity has greatly consigned a vast majority of Nigerians to a life of attendant misery, abject penury and despondency. Africa is indeed a continent of misery. Illegally held guns are increasingly and consistently being used by outlaws to commit violent crimes endemically and sporadically in many places in Nigeria. Candidly, security is a key responsibility of government but when it fails to provide adequate security for citizens, its legitimacy diminishes and becomes questionable, particularly in a democracy. The clime here is one of blurred vision, culture of frivolity, blackmail and failure of state. Nigeria must be made safe for democracy to remain peacefully progressive. Nigeria is currently in a state of anomie. She has seemingly lost political direction. The unification of the naira, our currency, is economically and gravely unpalatable. The sudden, irrational and hasty removal of subsidy on 29th May, 2023 without visible plans which would have elapsed on 30/06/2023 has made every Nigerian miserable. Government provides subsidy in every country. There is no subsidy in Nigeria.
Democracy allows for large participation by citizens. It is indeed government of the people and not against the people. Democracy is globally the most acceptable system of government because of its wide acceptability and large participation by citizens. It is, however, not the best system of governance. Democracy has not completely failed but could have fared better had many credible, competent, compassionate, knowledgeable and patriotic electees and appointees occupied strategic positions in governance particularly at the federal and state levels.
Democracy is dynamic, allows free participation, advocates freedom of choice and the right to seek power by all qualified people. Democracy is established by people through the instrumentality of party partisanship. It is largely the government of the people, by the people, for the people and not against the people. An American president, Abraham Lincoln, in his address in Gettsyburg to Americans on 19th November, 1863, described “democracy” as “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” He was born on 12th February, 1809 in rural Kentucky, USA. He was elected American president in 1860, aged 59 years but was assassinated on 14th of April, 1865 whilst attending a theatre performance. It was a wrong socialisation. In Nigeria, democracy is seemingly by the people, gullibly by the people but visibly against the people.
In this dispensation, high public expectation has seriously declined because there are many wrong federal and state appointments into strategic positions. Appointments are majorly based on party patronage. Appointments are not seriously made on the basis of strong knowledge, adequate competence, merit, relevant experience and National interests. This concept in governance is a parody of justice and strongly against the progressive attainment of an egalitarian society. Currently, Nigeria is morally, economically and politically unhealthy. Besides, security is seriously politicised. Nigeria is dangerously comatose. Democracy kills. Violent election kills in Nigeria during campaigns and voting because of political bitterness, greed (cupidity), dichotomy, intolerance and winner takes it all. Appointments visibly jettison merit, competence and national interests. Many political appointees who should actually themselves be advised have sadly become advisers. Insha Allah, Nigeria will eventually come out of darkness. Indeed, no empire lasts forever.
Prince Oyakhire is a former military administrator of Oyo and Taraba states.
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