A former national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Lai Olurode, has disclosed that elites in Nigeria are part of the democratisation problems.
This was, as he said, Nigeria’s democracy is not going on par with the indicators of democratic governance, adding that countries like Ghana and South Africa have now become models for Nigeria in terms of key development indicators.
The retired professor of Sociology regretted that Nigerians are not ready to invest heavily in the county’s democratization project but are expecting a bumper harvest.
Olurode, who delivered a lecture titled, ‘Nigeria’s Democratisation Project:Bumper Harvest without Injuring The Tree?’ at the annual get-together party of the forum of retired Chief Executives of Parastatals in Osun State on Tuesday in Osogbo, said Nigerian politicians were living large while the country is going backward.
The professor urged the elite to be part of the country’s democratisation project, adding that they had no right to complain if they failed to do so.
He said, “Countries like Ghana have become a model for Nigeria in considering where they are today in terms of health, education, and other key development indicators, but our politicians are coming off better, living in large.
“In the 1970s, Nigeria was the destination of most Ghanaians. They came here for their education, and we have them as teachers and doctors, but all of a sudden, Ghanaians disappeared from the surface of Nigeria. Today, while most Ghanaians are in Ghana, most Nigerians have traveled to better countries.
“Looking at the budget of Nigeria in terms of education and health from 2020 to 2024 compared to that of Ghana and South Africa, we can see that the two countries bettered Nigeria and this is not good for our democracy.
“What we can say is that our democracy is not going at par with the indicators of democratic governance. The number of years of democratization is not supporting the provision of the basic needs of the people.
“Nigerians are not yet ready to invest heavily in Nigeria’s democratisation project, yet they are expecting a bumper harvest, especially the elites in Nigeria.
“The pampered elites love to complain and lament in the comfort of their sitting room while the ordinary people for whom politics is not a dirty game are arguing it out the polling units. The elites have to be part of the democratization project. Otherwise, they have no locus standing to complain with the way things are going.”
In his address, the President of the forum, Evangelist Isaac Adeleke, urged the state government to look into the issue of remuneration of some categories of retirees.
Evangelist Adeleke also appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope in the face of the current national and global challenges.
He said, “I want to praise the government of the state for not treating issues concerning pensioners with levity, while prompt attention is paid to issues raised and solutions found.
“Even then, the issue of remuneration to some category of retirees needs to be looked into. This is the area of those who retired almost a decade again as Heads of Parastatals, Boards, and Corporations who earn very low pensions.”
