Governance in Nigeria post- (original) (raw)

"Democratic Governance In Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges"

Protocols: It was Abraham Lincoln that gave the world the simplest and the most concise definition of democracy: " government of the people, by the people and for the people. " It is a definition with a thesis that packs quite a bundle. And yes, the wittiness of its language has another advantage: it makes it very easy to memorize. If you are a leader, one duly elected by the process of democracy, this definition is very easy to remember. It says everything without saying a lot. The recurrent phrase, " the people " should serve as a mnemonic for the elected official; a consistent reminder of why he occupies the office entrusted to him/her. Democratic governance, therefore, is not about who signs the budget or how many cars constitute the convoy of a government official. It is leadership that is centered on the people and does not lose them. It is governance by the people and for the people. This cannot be emphasized enough; democracy is about the people. When we talk about " the people " in a democratic system of government, we mean the people, the masses, the folks, the community, and proletariat, the common people, through whom the privileged occupiers of office derive their power. Power belongs to the people, and "democratic governance" recognizes it holds power in trust for the people. Its legitimacy is derived from the authority invested in it by the people. It therefore listens to the people, not out of a sense of benevolence but because it has no choice. It has to carry the people along all the time to retain its legitimacy. But all these of course, are near-ideal, or ideal situations. I acknowledge that no democracy anywhere is perfect; either the one practiced in North America (which constantly holds itself up as a standard for other less fortunate nations), or the version of democracy that subsists in post-colonial African countries, fully grants sovereign power to the people. Democracy in itself, is an ideal, but one worth striving for by the society that claims to be practicing it. There have been series of debates that have questioned the appropriateness and sustainability of democratic governance in Africa. Scholars and analysts have asked the question over and over again, is democracy right for Africa or is there something in our DNA that makes the quest for attainment of true democracy possible? These postulations do not always offer an alternative form of government Nigeria –and by extension the rest of Africa-can explore if democracy refuses to work for us. And so, until they come up with a viable alternative, we have to stick with democracy and make it work for us. By making it work, I mean, we should consistently audit the system of democratic governance we claim to practice in Nigeria and ask how well it is working out for we-the-people. We must never shy away from asking this very legitimate question at any time. If democratic governance guarantees equality, we should not merely stop at lamenting the gross inequality in the Nigerian society. We need to go further and challenge our country to give us equal rights, access and privileges to the commonwealth of our nation. We must not stop at theorizing how much our lives will forever be circumscribed by corruption and its pernicious effects. Instead, we must strive to meaningfully participate in issues that affect our lives. We should refuse to be always treated as an afterthought; instead, we should effectively participate in the collective choices that define our membership of the nation. We all should have equal access to the process of political participation, not a few privileged villains who clog the mechanism of our society, turning everywhere into an extension of their fiefdom. The central question here is, can we ever truly attain citizenship of our own country beyond the ceremonial process of carrying our country's passport? To be citizens is a guarantee of equal rights, responsibilities and privileges. It means we are treated with dignity and respect that we deserve as