To Make Nigeria Safe For Democracy Recently, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, called on Nigerians to rise up to the defence of the sacred institutions of democracy, which he claimed are regularly being desecrated by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. He particularly flayed the lockout of legislators from the National Assembly and the disruption of academic activities during the recent visit of President Jonathan to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. According to him, the administration had pushed Nigerians to a point where they must decide either to submit to impunity or resist it. He thus praised the members of the National Assembly, who scaled the fence to reach their point of duty, saying that was their finest hour. Earlier, pundits have averred that what Nigeria was witnessing is a ‘‘motor park democracy’’ and that something urgently needs to be done to make the nation safe for democracy. They particularly detested the activities of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, whose activities which they claimed put the nation’s democracy in danger. Recent developments in the policy, particularly the seemingly endless and escalating levels of insecurity culminating in the declaration of a state of emergency in some states leave much to be desired. Pundits have been inclined to aver that history is repeating itself by alluding to the 1965 state of emergency in the former Western Region and the resultant consequences for the politics of First Republic. We can and should make efforts to avert a repeat of the frightening and unedifying scenario. In our present circumstances, all hands must be on deck to make this nation safe for democracy. For democracy to prosper and flourish necessary structures and facilities must be provided for all tiers of government, facilities akin to modernity, not to permittivity. A tripartite provision of structures and facilities conducive to democracy is essential to sustain our present experiment. Our leaders must eschew bitterness and violence, learn to realise that no particular individual or section has a monopoly of violence and that one action of violence evokes greater and more destructive violent reaction the magnitude of which can never by imagined in advance. In the end, the law of retributive justice catches up with the perpetrators of bitterness violence and destruction. Let every Nigeria tell his neighbour that killings and counter-killings are not the solutions to ethnic and religious dispute, strife and conflict in our country. Let us cultivate a new culture of understanding, tolerance, forbearance, forgiveness and accommodation. We must restore Nigeria as an haven of peace. Peace does not mean merely the absence of war or conflict between organized states or communities, but also as friendly cooperation and collaboration of peoples towards common goals. Security as the absence of threat and fear of domination, destruction and want must exist side by side with peace. It is on the foundation of peace and fairly assured security that development and prosperity, they are also co-requisites and at the same time, their end results. The apparent rapid and real violent changes in most countries are the results of the neglect of the mutually supportive relationship between peace with security and development with prosperity. Once we have peace based on security, we can pursue the goal of development of development and sustainable growth. It is unfortunate that as various actions of some so-called religious leaders in this country have become diametrically opposed to their pious and open declaration of support for the progress and stability of our nation’s religious history and zealotism have not helped to provide answers to the failures of the past. Instead, they have weakened our national will. The challenge is to remove this pretence to holiness, religious bigotry and taking undue advantage of the ignorance of the masses of the people to perpetrate violence in the name of religious advocacy. Religious disturbances do not augur well for any community. I concede that even in advanced democracies, the search for true democracy continues. More so for developing democracies such as Nigeria, where the understanding and practice of democracy is still superficial or better still, just taking root, in countries that have practised democracy for a century and still refining the processes redefinitions and institutions. I further concede that there are indeed no perfect systems of government anywhere in the world, but the practise of democracy comes close enough for Nigerians, hence our subscription to it. However, how well a democracy works or survives is a function of the strength of the institutions, the honesty and allegiance of its operators. Where the institutions of democracy are violated, weak or non-existent or the operators are pseudo-democrats, the system falters and overheats. The demands and dividends expected of democracy are the same world over. A system that is equitable and just. One that rewards and never discriminates; one that empowers and helps to unleash the potentials of its people and operates a value system that is non-exploitative. Our search for workable democracy remains a continuum. The future of democracy will be bright only when our people possess national character, consciousness and responsibility. Intellectuals should come forward and create better society with a true democratic spirit prepared to march further in a democratic way. It is still in the childhood, yet the hope for the future is bright. •Prof. Asaju wrote in from Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Ife-North Local Government, State of Osun.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 00:14:13 +0000
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