GOOD governance has the capacity to unite a country of disparate ethnic nationalities like Nigeria. Good governance is a unifier; it closes up tribal and ethnic differences that can be unnecessarily thrown up by marginalisation and exclusion. It has been proven by advanced Western democracies that the ideals of freedom, justice, and equity, bring true unity, love and patriotic cohesion in a nation.
We now live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that the stupid people won’t be offended. The presidential model of democracy has given birth to deterioration of public services, such as healthcare, education, and sanitation. Widening gaps between the rich and the poor have all but become common. The worst is that hunger has taken over the land, caused by negative economic growth, high inflation, and declining living standards.
Our politicians are the worst plagues that have troubled this nation. The brand of politicians we have seen in the past twenty-five years are selfish, unpatriotic, roguish, untrustworthy and careless. Expecting anything good from these calibre of people in the system we operate will be utter waste of time. Their bad leadership created hatred and exacerbate ethnic tensions in our multi-ethnic nation.
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When ethnic groups feel marginalised, excluded, or unfairly treated, it can make them develop hatred and mistrust towards other ethnic groups. Bad governance has led to national instability, undermining our country’s cohesion and development. The model of democracy that we operate, which concentrates too much unchecked and unaccountable powers in the hands of the very few operators, is toxic.
The parliamentary system has a better structure of checks and balances and carries more prospects and potentials for meeting the leadership goals of our nation. The kind of robust debate that we watch in South Africa and British parliaments are worthy of emulation. The British bequeathed to us the Westminster parliamentary system which we naively threw away. Today our corrupt politicians are recklessly mining the famished terrain of the weak presidential system.
According to Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, “unless democracy is anchored on a sound foundation, we will be building on sand.” We are actually building on sand. In fact, the presidential system is sandy.
Since 1999, the presidential system of democracy has really helped to activate and accelerate the rate at which the ship of state slide down the slope of nihilism. Looking at the way we are harassed and harangued by ugly results of misrule, it is about time we pause and have a rethink. A man who finds himself in a hole should not dig the hole deeper.
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The presidential system has hastened social decay leading to increased polarisation, fragmentation, and erosion of trust among different groups. It has stoked dissatisfaction, protests, acrimony, criminality and civil disturbances. Rates of crime, violence, and lawlessness, have therefore ballooned, and may continue to do so as all the variables fuelling them are massively available.
To say that democracy is taking us nowhere is not true. It is actually taking us backwards. We are steadily becoming a Hobbesian state. Before democracy, there was no Boko Haram, no cattle rustling, no banditry, no kidnap for ransom and many more evil vices that have taken over our land. No wonder Peter Nwankwo described democratic space as, “devil’s playground”.
We now live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that the stupid people won’t be offended. The presidential model of democracy has given birth to deterioration of public services, such as healthcare, education, and sanitation. Widening gaps between the rich and the poor have all but become common. The worst is that hunger has taken over the land, caused by negative economic growth, high inflation, and declining living standards. High levels of unemployment, underemployment, and precarious work. Widening income gaps, with the wealthy accumulating more power and influence.
According to Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, “unless democracy is anchored on a sound foundation, we will be building on sand.” We are actually building on sand. In fact, the presidential system is sandy.
Our presidential system of democracy pays little attention to intellectual conversation. It frowns against healthy debates and has turned our political sphere into a gathering of people with arid mentality. That is why there is too much intellectual laziness amongst the ruling class. The model has created a borderless space. There is no clear-cut ideological differences. One politician can be in PDP in the morning, APC in the afternoon and Labour Party in the evening or the following day, and so on, and on…
After twenty-five years of uninterrupted democracy with only negative results, any patriotic Nigeria should be worried.To say that democracy is taking us nowhere is not true. It is actually taking us backwards. We are steadily becoming a Hobbesian state.
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Before democracy, there was no Boko Haram, no cattle rustling, no banditry, no kidnap for ransom and many more evil vices that have taken over our land. No wonder Peter Nwankwo described democratic space as, “devil’s playground”.
Our presidential system of democracy pays little attention to intellectual conversation. It frowns against healthy debates and has turned our political sphere into a gathering of people with arid mentality. That is why there is too much intellectual laziness amongst the ruling class. The model has created a borderless space. There is no clear-cut ideological differences. One politician can be in PDP in the morning, APC in the afternoon and Labour Party in the evening or the following day, and so on, and on…
It is necessary that we make a detour from this ruinous presidential system. We must stridently make the point that this model of democracy can send us into extinction.
The presidential system of government is expensive and is prone to extreme corruption in a nation where democratic institutions are very week. We must arise and lend our voices in support of the repeated call by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary General, and lately by Alhaji Aminu Dantata and some of our federal lawmakers, for a return to parliamentary system of democracy.
