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Democracy and
the imperatives of dialogue
The necessity
for continuous dialogue in the process of democratic governance in Nigeria
is one issue that we would not relent in drawing our leaders� attention
to. It is a
proposition too plain to be contested that dialogue is superior to
monologue in politics and that it is better to talk out our differences
than to war over them. It is however our regret that this administration
has not yet realised the enormous benefits accruable to the political
system when the path of dialogue is genuinely followed by all the
stakeholders as against the unnecessary rancour and debilitating
disagreements presently amongst the component parts of the Nigerian
society.
It was therefore gratifying to
hear the President acknowledge the need to always dialogue with Nigerians
during the inauguration of the Senator Mantu-chaired committee that is
charged with the responsibility of ameliorating the harsh effects of the
recent astronomical rises in the selling prices of petroleum products in
the country. According to Mr. President, �We never attempted to play God.
And we believe that no individual or groups, whether elected, appointed,
selected or self-proclaimed, should play God in our society either by
action or by pronouncement.� The President went further to say, �We have
never fought shy of seeking advice, seeking dialogue or positive
compromise or considering dialogue. But some people, for their selfish
interests and self-centredness, are trying to portray this administration
in a bad light.� We totally agree with those sentiments as no sensible
government would want to govern without listening to the views and
suggestions of the people it is presiding over their affairs, because like
they say, he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches.
Unfortunately, this
administration is guilty of the very matter the President is talking
passionately about. It is certainly not true that some people, for their
selfish interests, are trying to portray his administration as one that
does not listen to the complaints of the people. That is exactly what has
been happening. Over and over again, the present administration has
treated opposing views with utter contempt, far worse than would be
expected from a full-blown military dictatorship. It is instructive that
the President actually made this statement about his being a listening
government when he was inaugurating a committee that was being charged
with the duties to find out ways of cushioning the harsh effects of the
recent increases in the prices of petroleum products which the people have
rejected. If the government has respected the notion of dialogue as the
President is claiming, it would have been necessary for it to discuss the
matter with the people and try to carry the public along with his
proposals before implementing them. But because of his habitual contempt
for the views of the people, it was possible for him to first unilaterally
increase the prices of these products before seeking out ways of
ameliorating their harsh consequences.
We are not here concerned
about the fact that these are products that are extracted from beneath the
nation�s soil and should therefore command affordable prices as determined
by the earning capacities of Nigerians. We are principally concerned with
those aspects of the development that lend credence to the charge of the
President�s critics that label him as �attempting to play God�. By the
President shutting out all the avenues available to the negotiation of
reasonable prices in accordance with the desire of the Nigerian people, he
is definitely attempting to play God. He alone cannot determine what is in
the best interest of Nigerians. it is both undemocratic and presumptuous.
That is one assignment only God can assume. No human elected officer
should claim superior knowledge to those that elected him.
That is one of the cannons of
democracy which the President is flouting by his foreclosing of any
dialogue on the prices of petroleum products. That he is wrong on that
note is boldly underscored by the massive support Nigerians gave Labour
when it called them out in protest over the price increases recently. Now
that the people have manifested their disapproval, we think that this is
the time for the President to demonstrate to the nation that he is a
listening leader and that he has no intention to play God on any policy
matter that affect the welfare of the people by respecting the wishes of
Nigerians and climb down on his high horse on the fuel prices palaver.
Failing to do so would not just be playing God; it may even suggest being
more than God because the Almighty God listens to us whenever we pray to
Him. The President should also listen to the nation.
If we all could just be
faithful enough to the demands of democracy, namely, consultation and
dialogue, the disputations about playing God or not would not only have
been moot, it would also have been quite unnecessary. We therefore want to
advise Mr. President to live by tenets of the political creed he so ably
espoused above. Let him listen carefully to the people and try to align
whatever reform he is pursuing with their demands because that is one of
the fundamental requirements of democracy.
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