May 29: A Swarming Democracy by Godday Odidi

Started by The InfoStrides, May 29, 2013, 01:03 PM

The InfoStrides

Nigeria is celebrating another consecutive 14 years of uninterrupted democracy with amidst fears of security challenges and political rumpus among top political leaders across the country. Every year of May 29 set to mark democracy day in Nigeria. The sad story is that since the sudden emergence of terrorist group called Boko Haram who wickedly invaded the Northern part of Nigeria while thousands of human lives wasted and property worth billions of naira destroyed in recent past years while other parts of the country are not spared in terms of security threats.

Though President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to fish out the iniquitous perpetrators of this act, most especially the Boko Haram sponsors who decide to make his government ungovernable and uncontrollable in recent times. The issue of apprehending Boko Haram suspects or perpetrators is mere political gimmicks while security threat is nothing to write home about. President Jonathan's government is now a laughing stock of security failure and late state of emergences in some parts of North which is long overdue. Nigeria security operatives are yet to comb out the major sponsors of this act. Precisely May 29, 1999 when the military government handed power to the civilian government under the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. Nigerians had been longing for democracy before the military forces toppled the then civilian government in 1966 with bloody coup that claimed many innocent lives and property worth million of naira destroyed then. The military government succeeded in taken over the government from 1966 to 1979 and 1983 to 1998. Though, the military government also witnessed three months unrest civil war between Rt. Gen Yakubu Gowon and Late Emeka Ojukwu over Aburi Agreement.

Over the years, democratic celebration has been in high key but two years down the memory lane of President Jonathan ascending to power, the country begins to witness another school of absurd and atrocious killings of both Christians and Muslims in the northern region of Nigeria by these unrepentant Islamic sects called fundamentalists or Boko Haram.The problem is that the Islamic sects operation is uncontrollable in spite of the presence of Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the north. Even security operatives are not spared in terms of state of emergences declared in three northern states recently by President Goodluck Jonathan. Some highly placed Northern leaders and elders felt the leadership of the country has been totally betrayed by the present government after the demise of President Musa Yar' Adua in 2009.

Despite the perpetual security threats, Nigeria has witnessed some political and economic achievements in Jonathan's government and others since the enthronement of democracy in the country. But the fact remains that corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the society while our education sector is nothing to write home about. The annual budget on education in Nigeria is less than the amount spent on Nigerian students attending Ghana Universities which indicated that the education sector is in waddle. Our hospitals are mere clinics where the importations of fake drugs are at geometrical progression. The so-called federal roads are death traps for innocent Nigerian road users. President Jonathan alone cannot make Nigeria great except every region cooperate with his leadership. Most of the self-styled politicians are only engrossed with 2015 rather than putting quality leadership in place. The issue of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) is startling and the sudden dethronements of the former chairman, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi is an indication of unhinged political leadership and flex muscles at the centre. The lingering political scuffle brought the emergence of PDP Governors Forum which is now headed by Gov Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state.

Meanwhile, if anything to go by the American prediction that Nigeria will break in 2015, then our political leaders must settle their political hiccups. Before the Boko Haram insurgence, OPC, Egbesu group of Ijaw nation and Niger Delta Militants were key players of ethnic violence together with MASSOB group with genuine reasons unlike the Boko Haram operators who decide to make the leadership of the country unrest. Federal government succeeded in creating Post- Amnesty for the Delta militants after much political consultations and nothing else. Those that were agitating for Amnesty for Boko Haram meant well to make the country enjoy everlasting peace but the Islamic sects objected the move by President Jonathan. The problem is that some of the Boko Haram facilitators are beneficiaries of the unrest in the north which the only way out is to adopt the late President Gadaffi of Libya idea of dividing Nigeria and nothing else. Although some political observers still assume that June 12 remains the real democracy day by late chief M. K. O Abiola.

Lastly, Nigeria has able to sustain a successful democracy without the intervention of the military onslaught in recent past years. Nigeria security operatives must be on alert to bring the perpetrators of this act to book while the federal government must fully equip our security agencies to combat the deadly enemies of democracy in Nigeria.

By Godday Odidi,
Public Affairs Analyst, Lagos.