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Our 27 years of unbroken democracy is worthy of celebration. It shows that despite all odds, we have been able to democratically manage our affairs for 27 uninterrupted years since 1999 when this democratic journey started following the June 12 struggle to restore democracy after the annulment of the 1993 general election won by business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola. The June 12, 1993 election was generally adjudged the fairest and freest in the history of the country. That our Democracy Day is marked on June 12 shows that the struggle by Abiola to restore his annulled mandate and the struggle by prodemocracy activists and other patriots to return the country to democratic rule in 1999 were not in vain.
However, this year’s Democracy Day comes at a time many schoolchildren and teachers are under the captivity of bandits and terrorists who have besieged the country with great trepidation. The Democracy Day is coming at a time when 133million Nigerians are suffering from multidimensional poverty and when hunger and unemployment are unprecedented. It is also coming at a great time of want and deprivation across all the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Coincidentally, this year’s celebration comes with three years of President Bola Tinubu administration. The administration started with some hard economic decisions like removal of fuel subsidy, unification of the exchange rates, and the floating of the naira, among others. While acknowledging some challenges along the line, the administration claims it has made some achievements in road construction, provision of housing, provision of loans to millions of students via NELFUND, and economic growth as reflected in the GDP. It also claimed that it made more money available to the state governors more than any government before. It said that it has laid a foundation that will spur economic growth and stability and ensure prosperity in the years ahead.
But Nigerians, especially members of the opposition party, do not agree with the government, saying that the APC economic blueprint has worsened the woes of Nigerians now more than ever before. They argued that Nigerians were better off three years ago than now. While the argument continues, what is of paramount importance now is how to better the lot of suffering masses and how to secure the country against marauding bandits and terrorists.
Democracy Day celebration means nothing to those searching for elusive jobs or means of livelihood. It means nothing to the families whose loved ones are still being held by bandits, who are already demanding huge ransom. It means nothing to millions of Nigerians living below US$1 per day. It means a little to thousands of Nigerians living under the bridge in Lagos, Abuja and other Nigerian cities. It means nothing to Nigerians searching for where the next meal will come from. Our Democracy Day celebration today calls for sober reflection on our democratic journey since 1999. It is not for flamboyant celebration and festivities when millions of Nigerians are languishing in penury and misery caused by those in power.
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Democracy Day celebration should be a day to celebrate the essence of democracy and review how far our democracy has impacted on the citizens. It is indeed a day of stocktaking. It is a day to chart a new roadmap for the future of our democracy and the future of the country as well. Our major concern now as a nation is how to overcome our economic and security challenges. In fact, how to overcome our security challenges should be given priority over others. We say this because without overcoming our security challenges, we cannot think of overcoming the rest.
As we mark the 27th Democracy Day, the emphasis should be on how to secure the country, the schools, the schoolchildren and teachers. The primary duty of government remains the security and welfare of the people. In a country where this primary function of government is vitiated or abdicated, that government should reassert its legitimacy or be called to question. Let the politicians stop the ongoing subtle campaign for 2027 election and collectively think of how to salvage the country from the firm grip of criminals manifesting in diverse forms across the country. Politics can wait. Ambitions can wait. Insecurity, hunger and poverty cannot wait. While we laud the June 12, 1993 election conducted by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu of the blessed memory as the fairest and freest in the country, can we boldly beat our chest and say so of subsequent polls conducted since then? We cannot say so because most of them were compromised and tainted by electoral infractions. Our political parties lack internal democracy hence the recent compromised party primaries across all parties in the country. All the parties were guilty as charged including those who claim to redeem all of us.
Going forward, we must start today to think of how to make our democracy better. We must chart new ways to conduct our political affairs without the ‘do or die’ approach to political matters. We must begin to see politics as a call for national and patriotic service to all Nigerians and not to serve solely members of your ethnic group, social club or religion. We must begin to see ourselves as Nigerians first before our ethnic and religious clubs and associations.
Before politics and elections, there must be a country first. Without a country, there will be no election and there won’t be politics either. Our politicians should learn one lesson or the other from our founding fathers, Bello, Awo and Zik and emulate their exemplary leadership. They can also learn from the sacrifices of MKO Abiola and others who willingly died for Nigeria.
Those who aspire to lead Nigeria, apart from possessing the prescribed requirements to vie for such offices, should be people who will be ready to die for Nigeria. We need servant-leaders and people who will sacrifice their comfort for the good of all Nigerians. We need more patriots at the leadership level. We need people who can go hungry so that Nigerians can feed well. Without this envisaged crop of selfless leaders, our Democracy Day is not worth any celebration.
