Nigeria's Democracy Is Oligarchy: The Way Out

There have been arguments in different corners about the benefits of democracy rather than other forms of government. Democratic nations all over the world have defended this claim. My country, Nigeria, started to practice full fledged democracy in the fourth republic in 1999. But all the benefits I have read about democracy in modern democratic states around the globe are far from being reached in Nigeria.

More to it is that some of the principles of democracy have been abused here. The current government has little or no respect for democratic principles. Some of the areas where democracy has failed to present a wholesome scenario in my nation are examined as follows.

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Unfair Electioneering Procedure

Democracy preaches One man, One vote principle but the reverse is the case in my beloved Nigeria. Aside from the fact that the vote of the electorates does not count, elections are largely rigged by the incumbent government. Vote buying is another wrong strategy adopted by politicians who buy the conscience of poor voters to get power at all cost.
In some places, when politicians see that the election process is not to their advantage, they engage thugs to snatch ballot boxes or disrupt the entire process. Also, recently, we started hearing terms like inconclusive votes. This happens when the ruling political party which also employs the executives of the electoral body decides to suspend the electoral procedures when it is discovered that they are losing out already to be able to carryout massive rigging. There are a lot of abnormalities in my nation's electoral procedure which are against the principle of democracy. In an egalitarian society, there is supposed to be free and fair elections and everyone who is old enough to vote is given the opportunity. No one should be disenfranchised.

Breach of Rights

In a democratic state, citizens' rights are protected by the constitution of the state. One of the rights of the citizens is peaceful protest. The Nigerian youths protested against bad governance #endbadgovernance because the government has turned deaf ears to the yearnings of the people. Instead of the government attending to the yearnings of the people, they resulted in the arrest of the protesters and charging them to court for a reasonable felony. These are protesters who were only carrying placards and demanding soft policies to better the economy of their nation. This is the height of bad governance to say the least.

Poor Judicial System

The court system is so biased. A friend of mine visited the prison recently and found that there are many citizens that are incarcerated for crimes they know nothing about and the court has not heard their cases. Some of the folks have been in custody for more than a decade. This is becoming too bad for a democratic state. The court is supposed to be the last hope for the masses. It is supposed to defend the weak and those who have been deprived of their fundamental human right but in Nigeria, the court only works for the highest bidder.

Disrespect For Rule of Law

In Nigeria, the executive arm of government does not respect the rule of law. There have been clear instances where court orders are not obeyed. Sincerely, I see some of these happenings as a show of shame. They should not be heard or seen happening in a democratic state.
There should be a clear separation of power between the organs of government. This will ensure that excesses are checked.
The use of force to compel citizens to obey civil laws is paramount. As such, one can say that it is unbecoming of a democratic government.

Nigeria's kind of democracy is for a few minorities who are wealthy, a reverse of what Abraham Lincoln defined democracy to be. The government of the people, by the people and for the people. In retrospect, what we operate is a direct opposite.

Worst of all is that all the basic social amenities of life are not available. For example, in some parts of Lagos where I am writing from currently, there has been no power supply for more than eight months.
Health facilities are a mirage of itself. Doctors with low incentives have sought for greener pastures outside the borders of the country and some of our medical facilities have been death traps for the citizens.
Education has been neglected totally. You can imagine where the government is spending more funds in renovating already furnished buildings higher than the whole tertiary education system in the nation. This is not the democracy we were told would make our nation great again.

Mikhail Nilov

Remedies To Abuse of Democratic Principles In Nigeria

To make the Nigerian democratic frontline whole again, it is important that the following be followed judiciously.

Audit Past Political Leaders:
This will be a clarion call. Once past corrupt leaders are brought to book, it will help reduce the level of corruption and abuses in the country. This has not been the case in Nigeria recently. Instead, the audit is only carried out by the current government against the opposition. This is not fair enough.

Separation of Power:
This already existed in the Constitution. It should be practiced. The law of the land is bigger than any singular individual, as such, anyone who disobeys the rule of law should be made to bear the weight of the law.

Independent Electoral Body:
An electoral body that has to be truly independent must not be established and funded by the central government. This will help in guiding the electoral body to deliver its mandate of conducting a free and fair election where the vote of the citizens will count.

Protection of Human Right
Fundamental human rights must not be abused. The citizens must be able to apply their constitutional rights. This is the only way that makes them accept the government of the day is democratic.

When these are put in place, then we can now begin to enjoy the benefits of democracy as the best form of government.