Nigeria’s democracy has had its ups and downs. Though it is still a work in progress, it has recorded some milestones, one of which is the seamless transition from one civilian government to another since 1999. Hitherto, military interventions had truncated the country’s democratic journey.
The military first struck in 1966. It continued in power until 1979 when the 2nd Republic was born and Alhaji Shehu Shagari emerged the President. This too did not last as the military intervened in 1983 to put an end to that Republic.
What could have been another big leap for democracy was the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, that poll was annulled by the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida military regime. This caused a lot of crises that led to the death of many citizens.
The presumed winner of the election, Chief Moshood Abiola of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP), was later arrested and detained for declaring himself President in 1994. General Sani Abacha, the then Head of State who detained Abiola, died suddenly in June 1998. Abiola himself died in July of the same year. General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who succeeded Abacha, kick-started the transition programmes that gave birth to this 4th Republic on May 29, 1999.
The country has been celebrating this democracy day every May 29 until 2019 when former President Muhammadu Buhari changed it to June 12 every year. This was in recognition of the role Abiola played in enthroning democracy in the country.
So far, the country has wobbled on from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency to Umaru Yar’Adua; from Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari and now to Bola Tinubu. Many new roads, railways and bridges have been built. More are still being constructed.
Nevertheless, insecurity has been the greatest challenge the country has had. Since it started its spate of violence in 2009, Boko Haram has expanded its networks in the country. It has even become deadlier as members now use more sophisticated weapons, including drones and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Some other terrorist groups include the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Lakurawa, Fulani herdsmen, unknown gunmen, and kidnappers.
The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 614,937 people were killed in Nigeria between May 2023 and April 2024. Experts also estimate that over 2,000 people have been killed in violent incidents in the first quarter of this year alone.
Politically, the country has not done well. Rigging, violence, intimidation and harassment of voters and manipulation of election results still hold sway. In the 2023 election, many voters were technically disenfranchised. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) so bungled the election that the outcome of the exercise became highly contentious.
People have lost confidence in the electoral process and in the three arms of government. The legislature is a rubber stamp of the executive while the judiciary churns out judgments that question the integrity of some judges.
Politicians have continued to play divisive politics. Major political appointments do not reflect the federal character of the country. This has worsened our fault lines.
Though there is freedom of expression, security agents, sometimes, abridge this freedom. In August 2024, they clamped down on hunger and hardship protesters, killed some and charged some others, including minors, with treason.
The economy has progressively worsened over the years. Currently, the exchange rate is over N1,600 to a dollar. It was less than N500 before this administration came to power. Headline and food inflation have made a mess of people’s purchasing power.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) stated recently that about 767 manufacturing companies shut down operations while 335 experienced distress in 2023. The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) noted that about 7.2 million Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) closed down between 2023 and 2024. In monetary terms, the country lost an estimated N94 trillion to multinational divestments and business closures during the same period, the NESG noted. This has contributed to the high rate of unemployment in the country.
Extreme poverty grows by six people every minute. And over 80 per cent of Nigerians live below the United Nations (UN) poverty threshold of $2 per day. Over 133 million people are said to be living in multi-dimensional poverty. Nigeria is in the list of leading hunger hot spots in the world.
Corruption and profligacy have festered in government. In 2024, the Federal Government spent N90 billion to subsidize hajj. The government has spent billions of naira on presidential aircraft, exotic vehicles and houses for political office-holders. This should not be so.
Also, the federal government should stop the borrowing binge. Our national debt profile ballooned from N21.725 trillion in 2017 to N97.34 trillion as of December 2023. It further climbed to N144.6 trillion as of the end of 2024.
The government should rather consider diversifying the economy. It should give incentives to manufacturers and investors. This will boost the economy and reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.
Many Nigerians have called for true federalism or the restructuring of the country. This will partly curb the excesses of the central government, which has 68 items on the exclusive list. Tinubu should engender reforms in the political and electoral processes. Once public officers know that they can be voted out if they underperform, they will sit up and do the job they were elected to do.