A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Nigeria is a typical third world country when it comes to issues relating to democracy. It is true that no two nations practice democracy in exactly the same way but some ingredients of democracy, to a great extent are present in democratic America and the West. Every citizen, highly placed or not, rich or poor, is subject to the same laws, rules and regulations; the citizens rights to freedom of speech and association are respected and there is the presence of opposition, whose role it is to keep the government on its toes and hold it accountable to its words, actions and inactions.

In Nigeria, there are quite a number of the ingredients of democracy missing so one is left to wonder if its democracy at all. The rule of law only applies to those who are unable to buy justice. Members of the national assemblies do not consult those they represent on any issue or issues affecting them. Evidence of extra judicial-killing abound across the nation. Once you are a public or an elected officer or has family or other relationships with one, you are above the law because the law is interpreted in Nigeria to suit ones status or standing in the Nigerian society and how much you are willing to pay to buy it.

In the United Kingdom, the Labour party decides how David Cameron, the Prime Minister, wakes up each morning. While Ed Miliband, the Labour party leader sniffs around David Cameron, shadow cabinet ministers do a good job of closely monitoring the activities of the Ministers. In this way, government officials are careful, mindful and thoughtful of what they say,  what they do and how they go about doing it. The direct beneficiaries of the presence of the opposition in the UK are the citizens. 

The same cannot be said of Nigeria. The norm in Nigeria is that after elections had been fought, won and lost, the party that came second, be it at the national or state levels, would just vanish into thin air. Nothing is ever heard from them. The major consequence of this undemocratic attitude is that the government in place is left to its own devices, becoming a law unto itself. It completely ignores the cries of its citizens as there is no one to hold it to account or keep it on its toes. It refuses to honour its electoral campaign promises acting instead in the best interests of government functionaries, their friends and families, leaving ordinary Nigerians to look after their own interests.

I had, in the past written about this obvious gap in the Nigerian polity. It seemed that many Nigerian politicians do not fully grasp what it means to run in an election for public office. Its about service to the people of a nation and its not just about winning.  The 'loser' has a very important role to play in nation-building.The potency of the opposition in a nation, goes a long way in shaping the direction of the government and the quality of life of the citizens.

I was, therefore, happy when recently, General Muhammadu Buhari, stepped into, and assumed the role of the opposition leader in Nigeria. Many of us wondered what took him this long but looking at the Nigerian setup, it would be easy for the government to attach religion and/or ethnicity to whatever the General (a moslem and a northerner) says in other to maintain the support of the predominantly Christian south.  

General Muhammadu Buhari has a huge following in the north of Nigeria but because Nigerians have been hugely disappointed in the government of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's inability to deliver the much touted breathe of fresh air and the promised dividends of democracy, many Nigerians are now demanding good governance instead of where the leader comes from or what religion he subscribes to. Consequently, General Buhari is the beneficiary of such change in democratic values as more and more southerners are throwing their weights behind him in his bid to provide a potent opposition and call an erring and a corrupt government to order.

General Buhari's party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has reached out to another party, Bola Tinubu's Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to form some sort of a coalition or maybe even a merger aimed at forming a solid opposition to the government of Jonathan. This proposed coalition or merger also promises to unseat and end the monopoly of government by the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through the democratic means of free, fair and credible elections.

I must say that progressive Nigerians are delighted about the prospects of having a solid and potent opposition that would work to curtail the excesses of an obstinate government but what we would not have is a situation where General Buhari and Senator Tinubu present themselves as presidential hopefuls for 2015 (if we ever get there).  Nigeria is blessed with younger and committed nationalists who can run our nation with the support of our elder statesmen such as Gen. Buhari. Their role should be more supportive rather than active participation. 

Times have changed and because Nigeria has been left behind as in the proverbial rapture, we cannot afford to have great grand fathers direct the affairs of a nation that desperately needs to modernise and come into the twenty-first century.

Published in the August edition of NewsAfrica

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