Nigeria has been celebrating herself as a nation every 1st October when it became independent from colonialism. This is because we see it a thing of joy to be independent and be free to govern ourselves.
The country has also been celebrating democracy every 29th of May when politicians were handed over power as democratically elected leaders. This is also celebrated because Nigerians love the system of democracy.
But the question is; is Nigeria independent and is the country practicing democracy?
It is obvious that Nigerians are partially independent from colonial rules and we have not been totally liberated from the western world. The West still controls our government indirectly. They control our economy. We depend on them for various forms of development. These include technology, social, cultural, economic and religious areas. We still look up to them as standards; quoting them all the time. We have moved from the total western enslavement to the enslavement by our own leaders.
This message is on democracy which the country has accepted as a system of government.
Are we really practicing democracy?
Democracy is defined by those who established it as government of the people, for the people and by the people. This definition has been bastardized and abused in Nigeria. There are other established systems of government in Nigeria.
For instance, the monarchy, which is seen within tribes and nations within the nation is a system headed by a king. In a monarchy, the king or queen is the ruler and the kingship is usually hereditary. This has its own peculiar process.
The military in Nigeria has never been established as a system of government even though many see it as such. Right from the onset, the military came into governance as a corrective measure and have been transitory. So, it cannot be said to have been a system of government in Nigeria. It therefore cannot be compared to another established systems.
The most prominent and publicly accepted system in Nigeria is democracy. But unfortunately, Nigeria cannot be said to be practicing democracy. Let me tell you why. Democracy has a process and system of implementation.
If these are not put in place, the beauty of democracy will not come out. These are known as the principles of democracy. Let us mention few of them for the purpose of this discussion, not that we have forgotten.
The first is the principle of separation of powers. In a democracy, the legislative arm does not report to the executive arm. Neither does the judiciary be subjected to the executive arm. They are usually equal and separate.
The legislative arm (that is the Senate and the House of Representatives and Assemblies) makes the law which come from the people they represent. They are directly representing the people and not their various political parties.
The judiciary, in a democracy is independent especially in interpreting the law. They are not directly appointed by the executive and therefore are not answerable to them.
The executive arm carries out the administrative process of governance as specified by the law. They are checked by both the legislative and the judicial arms. This is the beauty of democracy.
This leads us to another principle of democracy; the principle of checks and balances. This means that the activities of the executive arm are monitored, checked and measured by the legislative arm. They have the right to call the executive to order from the president to the last person in that arm. The executive arm gets approvals from the legislative arm before implementation. This includes appointments and major policies. The judicial arm checks both the legislative and executive arms to see when they go beyond the ambit of the law. They also protect the other arms as well as the people.
The other important principle of democracy is the rule of law. This means that the law or constitution should apply to all people equally, regardless of their status, position in the society; whether rich or poor, young or old, educated or illiterate, regardless of their gender, tribe, race culture or religion. Every one is treated the same by the law.
Can we say that this obtains in Nigeria today?
Can we say that everybody is equal before the law in Nigeria? Why are some people immune to the law? Why are some leaders above the law? Why can’t the president or governors be prosecuted at any time?
Why do some people brazenly break the law and are not prosecuted while many are subjected to the laws of the land?
Is that democracy? Do you know why this is so? It is because another principle of democracy is abused and neglected.
The agencies and bodies that are expected to bring everybody equal before the law are not themselves independent but are caged.
The military and security agencies are supposed to be independent and their activities checked by the other arms of government. The heads of the military, police and other security agencies are not to be appointed directly by the head of the executive arm in a democracy. This will enable them check the excesses of all the other arms of government.
The appointment of heads of government agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, Independent National Electoral Commission and others should not be done by the head of the executive arm. It should follow a standard democratic selection process and approval. They are also not expected to report directly to the president or any executive but to Nigerian people. This will enable them check the excesses of all the arms of government and in turn, the other arms can also check and measure the operations of these people. This is the beauty of democracy.
In a democracy, power belongs to the people and not to political parties. What this means is that the political leaders are answerable to the people that elected them and not to the political parties they come from. The function of political parties is to be a platform through which Nigerians elect their representatives and leaders.
Once this is done, the elected officers become answerable to the people of Nigeria especially their constituencies. The leadership positions of the executive, legislative and judicial arms are not to be deliberately picked and controlled by political parties. Elected people are answerable to their constituencies and not to the political parties they belong. They are not to take orders from their political parties but from the constituencies they represent.
Is this what we see in Nigeria today? Are representatives answerable to their people or to their political parties?
As a leader in a democracy, you are accountable to the people. What this means is that you should explain how you spend every kobo that comes into the public coffers. This can be done monthly, quarterly or annually. We all know this. But is it done?
Just as it is done in corporate organizations, every budget and expenses must be accounted for before another one is implemented. It is the function of the legislative arm to call for this from time to time since approval also comes from them.
How many times have we seen the leaders account to the people? In few times when this is done, are they measured? Many politicians were able to steal a lot of money undetected because of the lack of checks and balances and rule of law.
This leads to the fact that political leaders are temporarily in power. They are currently given a four-year term to serve in various capacities. Armed with lawlessness and the absence of checks and balances, the use the short time to steal and subsequently go free. Some protect themselves with immunity laws and retirement benefits. They should not have retirement benefits because it is not a full-time job. That does not make core government structures a temporary one.
Democracy is a continuous process. The ministries, agencies and parastatals are permanent structures and not demolished at the entry of any new government. The new entrants bring in new policies and developmental programmes as well as improve on the existing ones. If we don’t have permanent structures at this level, the growth and development will be retarded. It will also abuse the due process which will be overtaken by selfish interests. That’s why people complain of nepotism, tribalism and injustice. That’s why people agitate for separation and regionalization. If this is properly done, these issues will not come up.
The principles of democracy have been abused severally and many Nigerians have been forced to accept the abuse as a norm.
Many even think that the abused system is the normal process. This has led to lawlessness, greed, wickedness and dictatorship among leaders. This has also watered down to the people through various institutions, organizations, tribes, religion and families they belong to. Nigeria has wandered away from democracy and its principles.
This is why many are frustrated, oppressed and depressed. Many Nigerians are suffering as a result of this.
However, there is hope and solution. When you identify the cause of an ailment, the cure becomes easy. The transformation of Nigeria will come from the people, not her leaders. First, we need to start changing our mindsets through this kind of orientation. Once this is done, the people will deliberately put in place the kind of government they deserve and the type of people to run it. This also shows that a new Nigeria is really possible.
