CHIEF Henry Udeh is prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) especially in Ebonyi State and a board director of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. In this interview with SAM EYOBOKA, he reviews the democratic process in Nigeria in the last five years, but sees the twin problem of insincerity and corruption as the monsters that deter development.
Five years after, how has democracy fared in Nigeria?
We started off well. The speech by Mr. President on May 29, 1999 was remarkable, especially his pledge to confront corruption headlong. He quickly followed it up with a sweeping retirement of ambitious soldiers to pave the way for the deepening of democracy in the country. He flagged off Poverty Alleviation Programme and everybody was happy that a laudable programme that has the capacity to address poverty in the land has been introduced. He also began by laying a good atmosphere for the improvement of infrastructural facilities especially power supply. Again Nigerians were on their feet celebrating.
But along the line, we started having problems and things started heading for the worse. The simple reason for that was that the people who were charged with the responsibility of executing some of these laudable programmes felt there was no point doing that and therefore cornered the money into their pockects.
President Obasanjo cannot be everywhere. He only works with people. The people he was working with decided to frustrate his efforts. Something like a clique, like what Gen. T.Y. Danjuma called a cabal in the administration came up and hijacked the government.
The corruption Mr. President said he was going to fight with all his might grew more and the situation was not helped by the frequent fight and arm-twisting between the executive and the National Assembly. The fighting did not help stability in the polity. The focus became how to unseat one leadership of the Senate or House of Representatives or the other or how to impeach Mr. President.
But again it is too early to bemoan our situation. We all know when America started and how many years it took them to stabilise their own democracy. There are many forces that are working against good governance, because those forces are not benefitting the way they used to in the new system. They want to torpedo or armtwist the government into doing what they want.
From your account, it is apparent that the people are yet to see the dividends of democracy despite its promises at inception...
There is no alternative to democracy. I could not have said that we have not gained anything from democracy. The democratic space is being widened by each day. We are enjoying free speech. What we need is quality leadership. I laugh when people argue that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does not have a manifesto or programmes that can lift the nation. It is a lie. The problem is that people who are appointed into positions do not want to serve selflessly. They plunder the economy and demonise the government.
Hardship is driving people to foment troubles here and there. As soon as our leaders are able to put in place healthy economic environment that can make people drink water and eat food when they want, things will change in the country. We have to be sincere, things are not in the right shape. No food, no light, business is not flourishing, industries are collapsing, educational system is decaying and much more. All these things are making people to vent their spleen on anybody around them, cashing in on religious differences to unbottle pent-up anger.
But like I said before, we are only five years old in this system. Government has embarked on some economic reforms and I believe that things will change for the better by the time the reforms are over. Let me quickly say, here, that what you find at the federal level is not the same picture in some states. Some states, because of good leadership, have made monumental strides and their people are happy.
I’m from Ebonyi and I can tell you that the state stands out in terms of performance. I say so with every sense of responsibility. Ebonyi State receives about the smallest monthly allocation, yet the state, today, prides itself as the luckiest in terms of democratic dividends. I may just be over-flogging the fact that Governor Sam Egwu has totally changed that state.
The basic amenities and infrastructure that are germane for rapid development of both human and economic well being of any state have been laid. You don’t hear of teachers or civil servants going on strike, students or people demonstrating or anything of that nature.
When once we have good leadership in the country, all these ethno-religious crises will disappear because people will be engaged in businesses that can bring food to their table at the end of the day.
What has happened in a hitherto rural state like Ebonyi has shown that our problem as a nation is just that those in leadership are not committed to the welfare of the people. Out of nothing, Egwu has changed the fortunes of the state so much so that no area can be said to have been marginalised.
The secret is nothing but good leadership. It is understanding that God put you on that chair for a purpose and the purpose is to render selfless service to those under your control.
What will you say is the fundamental problem of our current effort at democracy?
The problem is not far-fetched. It is a twin problem of insincerity and corruption. Those in the corridors of power still see power as an opportunity to fester their nests, an opportunity to amass all the wealth and own all the best houses in the world. Our problem is that though government may identify some problems affecting the people, make policies to that effect but will not have the will to implement such policies. Sometimes when they are implemented, the policies are not monitored.
We are yet to appreciate what it means to fight corruption. As soon as we realise that there should not be any sacred cow in the fight against corruption, things will change, corruption will be minimised to a bearable level. Democracy across the world is usually constitution-based. Our action and steps should be determined by the constitution. We cannot be seen to be obeying the constitution when we feel it does not clash with our personal interests and ambitions.
Another fundamental problem of democracy in this nation is that our politicians seem to believe that you have to go to any length to actualise political ambition. Those who contest elections do not want to be defeated whether they are popular or not. This situation, added to the fact that those in power are so intolerant of opposing views, have led to killings and maiming of fellow politicians. Of course, the situation has caused the heating up of the polity in the last five years. The stories we have been hearing are that this politician has been assassinated or allegation of one politician threatening the other.
Our problem is that we are yet to see politics as an avenue of learning an enduring legacy in our various constituencies. We are so intolerant. The past five years have exposed many who claim to be democrats as having not yet imbibed democratic temperament. We, the followers, are yet to tailor our lives to suit the new democratic culture.
What are the lessons to learn from the last five years?
The lesson should be that we can make progress by joining forces. Our government is in a better position to record greater strides in future if it can carry all Nigerians along and if it can train its ears to take honest advice and constructive criticisms. Every leader consults widely and takes advice before embarking on any action or programme. The greatest lesson we have to learn is that we should be tolerant of opposing views. We should allow all interests to join hands in advancing our democracy. I have firm belief in our democracy and I know that sooner than later, we are going to hit the target.
