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Bane of Nigeria’s democracy, by Egwu
Recently, the Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, delivered
a lecture at a forum organised by the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of
Journalists (NUJ) where he challenged politicians and elected officials to join
forces with other interest groups to deepen and stabilise democracy in the
country. IHEANACHO NWOSU who was at the event which took place at the
Gateway Hotel Abeokuta reports.
IT
is obviously not the first time a conference would be organised to review the
conduct and activities of politicians and articulate ways of deepening and
enlarging the nation’s democratic space.
However, it is, arguably, the first time
in this dispensation, that an incumbent governor would be honest enough to tell
a large audience that elected leaders and politicians in the country are not
advancing the cause of democracy the way it should be.
The occasion was the recent lecture
organised by the Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at
which Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu was the lead speaker.
Titled: The Role of the Political class
and the Press in a democracy," the governor could almost have been mistaken for
a practising pro-democracy activist as he hauled attacks on politicians and
elected officials over their not-too-encouraging achievements and their
indifference to the plight of the electorate.
"Victory at elections is not an end in
itself. Victory needs to be properly managed and its gains harnessed for the
benefit of the people... We should win not for the sake of riding roughshod over
our opponents but to advance public good," he counselled.
From the beginning of the lecture to its
end, Dr. Egwu brought the message quite clearly to the minds of everybody at the
large hall of the Gateway Hotel, Abeokuta, that he was out to undress his
colleagues in political offices who have been masquerading as democrats but
whose acts have continued to be a rape on the nation’s democracy and leave the
public with an unsmiling face.
He began with a historical excursion
through the country’s democratic attempts since after independence in 1960.
According to him the behaviour and conduct of first republic politicians upon
taking over political power from the white colonial overlords, clearly showed
that they were ill-prepared for "the task of nationhood."
He cited political rascality, unending
mudslinging and deliberate down playing and disregard of public good by the
politicians as the cause of the unfortunate fall of the first republic.
Although the military, which took over
power reigned for about 13 years, Egwu regretted that even as civilians
reclaimed power in 1979, there was no lesson learnt by the politicians.
Said he: "it was the failure of the
politicians of the time to stem the tidal wave of political brigardage that
culminated in a series of events that eventualised in the Nigerian civil war.
"But if we thought that the long absence
of the politician from the scene had him sober, we were badly mistaken,"
observing that "their re-enactment of their jaded and uncritical approaches to
politics during the second republic showed that they learnt nothing and forgot
nothing."
At the heart of every democracy, the
Ebonyi State governor enlightened, is the acknowledgement that election reflects
the wishes of the people. According to him, the massive irregularities that
attended elections in the second republic, a situation that peaked with the
stealing of mandates precipitated the fall of the republic.
Those years, and times, inarguably have
gone, but he submitted that the crux of the issue in the nation’s democracy till
date remained ridding the country of the crisis of legitimacy which the
leadership in Nigeria faces.
To him, this crisis of legitimacy,
accounts largely for why Nigeria’s statehood has kept limping despite the
avalanche of material and natural resources at its disposal.
The governor, whose speech was
intermittently punctuated with ovation and applause and who repeatedly
gesticulated to drive home his points, identified the desperation by politicians
to win at all cost as the bane of Nigeria’s political system.
"Our politics has not yet grown to the
level where politicians freely appreciate and acknowledge the fact that in every
contest, there must be a winner and a loser," he said. The consequence of this,
he continued is that the will of the people is thwarted and democratic ideals
are sidelined.
However, Egwu was quick to identify the
syndrome of winner - takes all as part of the root causes of the problem. He
faulted a situation where a political party that wins an election shuts the door
against people in other political parties in the governance of the country.
Beside that, the clear lack of ideology
and the perception of politics and public office by politicians as a meal
ticket, Egwu added, is not only resulting in low performance by those in office
but provoking massive decampment to ruling parties by politicians.
He said, "because many see politics in
Nigeria as a meal ticket, no attention is paid to ideology or principle. Thus
those who ought to be in opposition to put the government in power on guard
usually jump ship. They join the winning party in so far as that guarantees them
a certain level of patronage.
Of course, the governor has a point there
but what perhaps is the question on the lips of many is what of the rising
incidence where those who won elections are seen not only not be magnaniums in
victory but use their offices to champ down on opposition.
To meet the expectations of people and
stabilise democracy in the country, the governor charged politicians to
genuinely show commitment to the affairs of the nation.
His words: " No country can make any
appreciable progress if the political class which constitutes the leadership is
not committed." The submission provoked instant applause. Shouts of Ride on!
Move on! rented the air.
Acknowledging the contribution of the
media so far in the task of re-moulding the nation, Egwu anchored the deepening
and sustenance of democracy on the recognition that everybody in the country is
a stakeholder in the Nigerian project.
"Our ultimate objective should be the
enthronement of an enduring democracy. We will definitely arrive at our Damascus
if we promote an arrangement that accommodates all," he tutored.
The governor capped the lecture with a
promise to lay a solid and enduring foundation in his state, Ebonyi, explaining
that his administration believed that the primary reason for being in government
was to serve people and translate their wishes into reality.
A prolonged ovation by the audience which
was made up of the cream of the society including the Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer of Oceanic Bank Limited, Chief (Mrs.) Cecilia Ibru
followed the lecture.
Taking advantage of the charged
atmosphere, Gov Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State, tasked politicians to de-emphasis
mischief, self conteredness and acrimony and work for the re-inventing of the
country.
He argued that the nation would continue
to grapple with many problems unless the political class realised the need to
harness the nation’s enormous potentials in the interest of the country.
However, Egwu took his reformation message
to the University of Lagos where he also pledged not to disappoint the
electorate. He spoke in honour of Prof. Theo Vincent who clocked 65 years.
According to the governor who was
represented by his commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Dr. John
Otu, transformation of Ebonyi State and deepening democracy in the country, are
twin issues, he will continue to give priority attention to.
"The transformational strides that are
already visible in the state are a pointer that we have kept faith with our
mandate as intellectuals on a rescue mission," he said.
The Abeokuta event was hallmarked with an
award of "Most Press Friendly Governor" on Egwu by the state NUJ leadership.
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