 |
| Wadak |
DEMOCRACY DAY AND THE REST OF US- BY
ISAAC WADAK
By Isaac Wadak
Today marks
a very important event in the history of Nigeria’s democracy. On this day 19
years ago, the mantle of leadership changed hands from military to civilian
administration, thus sowing the seed of democracy which was nurtured to a very
appreciable level of growth and development by the party that took power in
1999, the People’s Democratic Party.
Nineteen
years down the line, it is time for Nigerians to make a critical reappraisal of
the years of democracy (The Fourth Republic) and chart a way forward. This is
the time for sober reflections of where we are today and where we want to be in
the future.
For the past
three years, there has been outbursts on how the past regime wrecked the
nation. The same narrative posits that the current woes of the country lie
squarely on the shoulders of the past regime. Existing facts however obfuscate
the realities on ground.
Perhaps no
better time than now to proffer a new narrative of the Nigerian state. This new
narrative is more heart-rending and discouraging for the ordinary Nigerian. The
reality comes to light and the people get to see the underbelly of the fish.
For
instance, despite all the noise about coming out of recession and a burgeoning
economy as well as a flourishing agriculture sector, life still remains quite
hard for the ordinary Nigerian whose struggle for three square meals gets
harder by the day. Things are still costly (Even costlier than ever in the
market and there seems to be no succor for the masses. Sometimes you wonder
whether indeed we are out of recession.
If the
Nigerian economy in the last three years has given Nigerians little to cheer
about, the security situation has given them almost nothing to cheer about. As
a matter of fact, the situation has gotten worst since May 2015. Despite
government claims of decimating the Boko Haram insurgency, the sect continues
its sporadic attacks, killings and maiming of innocent Nigerians.
Newer
security challenges continue to rear their ugly heads every day and the country
appears to be in perpetual state of fear. While the cities and the highways are
plagued by incessant robbery and kidnapping, the rural communities continue to
be terrorized by Fulani herdsmen. We are witnessing what seems to be like an
army of occupation gradually overriding the entire nation, sacking communities
and taking over their ancestral farm lands.
The central
part of Nigeria has been the worst hit by these attacks which have claimed
thousands of lives. Surely the security situation in the country is in very
dire straits and the entire security network needs total overhauling to give
Nigerians the sense of confidence in a country they call their own. In this regard,
it is essential that proper security arrangement be made around communities
that have suffered these attacks to enhance the return of the inhabitants that
have been displaced and taken refuge in camps.
It is also imperative that the returnees are given all the necessary
support to rebuild their homes and communities. The recent gesture by the
Federal government when the sum of 10 billion naira was donated to Benue state (one
of the victims of such attacks) is a welcome development which should also be
extended to Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Zamfara states and others.
The fight
against corruption is still been understood as selective and vindictive. The
case of fighting it with insecticides and deodorant [Apologies to Senator Shehu
Sani] is obvious and glaring. While recovery of funds is said to made from
certain People mostly from the opposition, it is not convincing that the fight
is total with the way and manner recent alleged cases of corruption involving
some members of the ruling APC have been handled.
Youths and
women remain highly disadvantaged despite the fact that they are an important
segment of the society. They are at the receiving end of all bad policies of
the government, especially those that relate to their welfare and well-being.
Almost all programs initiated to make their lives better have been dogged by
controversy and shrouded in mystery as only few and privileged ones get the
benefits. For example, N-power and Anchor borrowers program and several others
are seen as merely elitist as their implementation is hampered by such problems
as lack of power and internet facilities
and other related infrastructures that can make the program easily accessible
to the people. It is my opinion that such programs, even though laudable have
not yielded the desired results due to poor implementation and proper
monitoring.
At this
crucial period of our political development, it is my candid view that the
present clarion call for restructuring of the Nigerian federation should be
given more attention and consideration. The current over-concentration of
power, influence and control at the Centre seems to have slowed down national
development. It is on account of this realization that there is now a huge
outcry for restructuring so that the federating units can plan how they can
harness their resources for development, based on their competence and
advantages.
Perhaps one
critical area of governance that has been neglected is the one at the local
government level which is grassroots, and the place where majority of Nigerians
live. It is a sad commentary on our national experience that governance at that
level has been left at the whims and caprices of respective state governors who
use it not only as a means for advancing their selfish interest, but also for
denying the local people the real benefits of democracy.
For years,
the local government system had suffered acts of impunity by state governors
who, in total neglect and in defiance of constitutional provision, simply
appoint their cronies as Care-taker committees, Management Committee,
Transition Committees and all sorts of nomenclatures thereby, short-changing
the electorates at the grass root of participating in democratic process.
There is no
gainsaying that the grassroots democracy is very important in governance, not
only as a constitutional imperative but also as an avenue to get to the people
and deliver to them the development that is sorely needed at this level. On
this score, it is sad to note that successive government have had poor run,
thus merely making the local populace only relevant when elections into other
tiers of government come. This narrative has to change because power belongs to
the people and the people are in the grassroots.
Suffice it
to say our democracy has not been without its bright points. As a matter of
fact, it has grown even though at very great expense because of the cost of
governance. By and large, we have not done badly in 19 years even though that
period cannot be considered long enough for full maturity. Yet, it ought to
point out a direction for us. Much has not been achieved as certain primordial
sentiments as tribalism, ethnicity, religious and bad governance have held us
prostrate.
Things can
always get better if we put our hearts and minds to making them better. this is
where the role of the politicians is very essential as policy makers and implementers
of these policies.
As Nigerians
mark this year’s democracy day therefore, it is my hope that all those in
authority and responsibility will place the welfare of the citizens of this
country above every other consideration, play the game by the rules and deliver
the dividends of democracy to the people who voted them.
Important
sectors like health, education, power, social welfare and economic growth need
to be given greater impetus so that our nascent democracy can be nurtured to
maturity in the nearest future. This is what Nigerians expect from a
responsible and responsive government. Anything less than this falls short of
the mark and counts only as betrayal of trust and confidence of the people.
Wadak is the
Secretary-General, Initiative for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance
(I.M.P.A.C.T) Nig. He is also a Senatorial Aspirant, Plateau Central Senatorial
District under the platform of the PDP
Post a Comment