Nigeria has enjoyed its longest unbroken span of democracy since independence. Given our history, it is a good milestone. But given the degenerating quality of our “democracy” since 1999, it is not yet “Uhuru”. In January 1966, our first attempt at democratic practice collapsed in the wake of the Nzeogwu coup and the military stepped into governance until Obasanjo led them back to the barracks in 1979. Just over four years later they were back on the last day of 1983, with then Brigadier General Sani Abacha announcing that the soldiers were back and General Buhari taking office again as military Head of State. Buhari was succeeded by Babangida and briefly Shonekan before Abacha took power in November 1993.
Abacha thoroughly terrorised Nigerians and helped to remove any remaining tolerance for military rule that was left in Nigerians. I recall writing an article which was published in “The Guardian” in the last days of Abacha which implicitly echoed the frustration I, along with virtually all Nigerians felt at the economic drift, political crisis and international isolation into which the Abacha regime had plunged Nigeria. I was surprised at the number of people who called to warn me, “If Abacha or Al-Mustapha catches you!” It was a big relief when on June 8 1998 Abacha died and Nigeria got a chance to get back on a sensible path.
I indeed believe that democracy is inherently better than military rule. No matter how defective democracy is, if it is sustained over time, the chances are that democratic institutions are strengthened and eventually a better polity emerges. India is an example of this hypothesis. Indian democracy is very flawed. It has many of the elements of our own imperfect democracy-violence, corruption, criminal infiltration into political leadership, party barons who hijack the system etc. Yet unlike Pakistan (and Nigeria) which has alternated between democratic rule and military interventions, India has sustained its democracy and in the process has strengthened itself to the point where today India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. The comparison with Pakistan which is virtually a failed state, and Nigeria which is a failing state can not be more stark!
However the fact that we are better off sustaining democratic rule rather than relapsing into military rule, fascism, totalitarianism, feudalism or any other unrepresentative form of government must not obscure the fact that in ten years of so-called democracy, we have actually become less and less democratic. As many commentators have correctly put it, while we undoubtedly have civilian rule, it is not clear that what we presently have can be properly called a democracy! Democracy implies supremacy of the will of the people. It rests on free and fair elections at regular intervals. In a democracy, the elected are accountable to the electors and government exists for the welfare of the people. In Nigeria, all of these notions are becoming more and more remote from our practice of democracy.
It seems like we have the physical structures (the body) or the letters of democracy-a parliament, regular elections, civilian government officials, a constitution etc, but we have lost its spirit. The spirit of democracy is typified by respect for the rule of law and the constitution, faith in the ballot box and integrity of the electoral system, sovereignty of the people and government exists to advance the good of the people. Today the behaviour of our political class more closely resembles that of unelected colonial officers who have been selected by an imperial authority to rule over a conquered people. Our elections are of little or no consequence. The winners are predetermined through means that have no bearing with the will of the people, and elected politicians appear merely to tolerate the unwanted intrusions of their constituents rather than holding themselves accountable to them. The people have lost their sovereignty to a buccaneer political class.
Our only saving grace has been the judiciary which retains some elements of independence; the media which has not been completely suppressed or compromised; and parts of civil society which has not given up on the ideals of a true democracy. So the political class now has untrammelled power over the people who can only look on while the “dividends of democracy” are by and large monopolised by a few. The political class will not willingly abdicate this power and the privileges that they have now gotten used to. So the people of Nigeria will have to reclaim their sovereignty from those who have hijacked it. They will have to return to citizen activism. They will have to join political parties or civil society organisations. They must write “letters to the editor”, op-ed pieces or newspaper columns and insist that their voices must be heard.
They will have to organise protest marches and peaceful demonstrations. They must write letters to their legislators and follow up with more vigorous actions if no response is received. Nigerians will have to insist that elected and appointed office holders account to them for their performance in office. They must insist on recovering their lost sovereignty.
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