IBADAN—DIRECTOR- General of the defunct Centre for Democratic Studies, Prof. Adebunmi Ayoade, over the weekend in Eruwa, Oyo State, assessed the five years of democratic rule in the country and concluded that “It has been motion without movement”.
Prof. Ayoade delivering a lecture titled “Democracy deficit or Democracy Dividend: Nigeria’s performance” at the 5th Anniversary in memory of Late Alfa Kareem Babatunde Adewusi, father of Lagos State Commissioner for finance, Dr. Adebayo Adewusi, asked Nigerians to confront wrong doings in the land.
Said he: “It is becoming difficult to see the dividend of democracy, whatever dividend we can claim to be enjoying is being taken away through negative policies. It has been motion without movement. It is very difficult to understand the kind of democracy we are running.
"At the Federal level, from 1999-2003 the three arms of government played (and sometimes overplayed) their assigned roles. Since 2003 the Executive at the federal level has overpowered the legislature and I am tempted to also include the judiciary. The constitutional tripod is in jeopardy as the theory and purpose of the separation of powers is being gradually eroded.
"The situation at the state level is worse. The state legislatures hardly exist but for the building housing them and the cars we see on the roads. The states legislatures are afraid to assert their constitutional rights. The situation could not have been different if governors facilitated the nomination and even the election of state legislators.
"The separation of powers is replaced with the consolidation of powers in the person of the governor. Similarly, most governors becoming governors of local government, have reversed the three-tier structure of the federation. Local government chairmen who dare their governors risk removal or death depending on the temperament of the governor”.
According to him, “We must remind ourselves that democracy is constitutional government. By the same token, it is also limited government. Governments are limited by the constitution, by the rules of decorum and by the welfare of the people. It is only then that it can deliver the dividends of democracy, which are the rights of the people lest any government should boast.
"Democracy must be served neat not on the rocks”.
The former Dean, Social Sciences Faculty, University of Ibadan, while reeling out the deficit of democracy said: “We have indicated that Nigerian politicians are continually short-changing the electorate who are their benefactors. What are some of the real dividends of democracy? It does not require any statistician to convince anyone that there is pervasive unemployment in the land.
"Self degradation has become a survival strategy. Nigeria has recorded cases of graduates working as night guards.
"Secondly, today in our cities, the roads are lined with able-bodied young men and women selling GSM cards. The sheer number of this brand of traders is scary. They are not there by choice. They stand for hours on end, they run several kilometers up and down the roads; they fight over customers and end up earning commissions that can hardly feed them. But we are expending huge sums of money on poverty alleviation. We have coined so many names for these projects that we have exhausted our creativity”.
Continuing, he said, “our street corners, motor parks and bus stops are inundated with pure water merchants. Pervasive poverty has resulted in such creative ingenuity to package all grades of water ranging from poor water to pure water. What is ominous about this trade is that these merchants are in the age range of six to fourteen years. They have embarked on a trade without a future. At their most impressionable age, they are exposed to rude and indecent street culture as well as the pranks of motor parks.
"These are the most unlikely places to raise decent people. We might be in for a huge waste of human capital. Our cities and our general environment have deteriorated. Every open space has become a motor park with its own government.
Unfortunately, the motor parks have become veto groups. The governments are too scared to confront them. They block the roads and constitute public nuisance. But their leadership is allies of politicians.
"They are therefore chartered to be laws unto themselves. The desire for votes from this class of people has resulted in the condoning of anti-social behaviour. Only anarchy can result from the perpetuation of such behaviour”.
Dr. Adewusi justifying the establishment of the foundation in memory of his late father said, “Government policies have failed to make the majority to be part of the prosperity. The attendant results are manifested in the social disorder as typified by armed robbery, arson, youth restiveness and destitution that daily assail our senses.
According to him, “the birth of KABAF, a foundation named after my father, was necessitated by the desire to cushion the crushing effects of the failure of policies and the inability of governments over the decades to adequately attend to the needs of the people”.
