Reflections on June 12, 2024 Democracy Day and the Cultural Jamboree marking the Silver Jubilee of Democracy in the Fourth Republic.
An Opinion
I enjoyed the cultural shows very much. However, I shuddered at the clamor of Minimum wage! Minimum wage! Minimum wage! at this special occasion. I also watched some of the discourses on Democracy at different fora to commemorate this milestone on Arise TV and Channels TV. Following the conclusion of these activities, I wallowed in reminiscences on Nigeria's politico-historic development since 1960 when, in elementary school, we sang the Nigerian anthem: "Nigeria we hail thee, Our own dear native land. Though "tribes" and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand. Nigerians all, and proud to serve Our sovereign motherland...." before we started a splendid parade, with other elementary schools, at a public stadium.
Regrettably, around the middle of the 1960s, there were political issues in the country, especially in the then Western Region, that impacted the country's stability. The political, economic, and social activities of the political class, and civil society organizations, created upheaval in the polity. This development in part led some of "our" patriotic sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, cousins and nephews, of the armed forces (who had signed up to defend the country from external forces) to stage a coup and consequently abort the democratic project. The reasons for the coup of January 15, 1966 have been told and retold. But, as the saying goes, "there is no smoke without fire." My question to members of the political class, who witnessed the abortion of our democracy in 1966, is: Are you doing better today, in a country in which it was recently alleged that over 80% expressed dissatisfaction with the policies and direction of the country? Is the current situation not worse off than it was when some soldiers first staged a coup?
Now, let's come to the June 12, 2024 celebration of Democracy Day in honor of MKO Abiola and the 25 years of uninterrupted democracy. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I was in Ikeja, Lagos in the Summer of 1994 on a research mission, when I saw NADECO and other civil society organizations bringing pressure to bear on MKO to declare himself the legitimate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria following his victory on June 12, 1993. I was very, very impressed with the solidarity of the civil society organizations against General Abacha's and the autocratic nature of his regime. The political atmosphere was tense, and the pressure from civil society on MKO to claim his June 12, 1993 mandate was so powerful that he did so. Thus, technically, establishing "a rival reign within the reign–i.e., two heads of state." At this point, General Abacha, who thought that it was his turn to govern Nigeria, given his role within the military governance architecture since the 1960s was not going to tolerate this opposition and the activities of the civil society. And, the rest is history, as the country moved from pillar to post. The moral of this anecdote is that many of the members of the civil society group then were patriots and were prepared to pay "any" price for democracy.
Ironically, some members of that same powerful civil society are in government today, and are not practicing what they stood firmly for–the rebirth of robust Democracy. In retrospect, could it be argued that some of the members who agitated for a return to democracy did so based on their desire to acquire as much wealth as some members of the different military cabals or juntas, and not their desire for democracy per se? In my view, the character of the current political class, during the past 25 years, leaves much to be desired, and in sync with the above postulation. This is the case as many, if not most, have completely abandoned democracy and its guidelines–by rigging elections, buying votes and the judiciary, encouraging violence, lack of practice of the rule of law, pre-determining the winner of an election before balloting takes place, et cetera.
In my opinion, the contemporary political development in the country makes the allusion to the frequently quoted maxim "a worst civilian rule is better than a benign military rule" a ruse in Nigeria's contemporary politics. In any case, to our current leaders, my preceding suppositions, and those of other academics, on this matter, should serve as "words to the wise." This view is critical as, hopefully, you work assiduously toward producing young patriotic "democrats" to prepare the republic for her GOLDEN JUBILEE!
The Struggle continues!
Ike Udogu
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