• Oyofo lists graft, NGF as threats
SOME eminent Nigerians, including former governor of Ogun State and chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Olusegun Osoba, have said 14 years of democracy in Nigeria have been saddled with more crises than development.
Osoba, who spoke with The Guardian, said: "My assessment of democracy in Nigeria since 1999 is that we are not where we are supposed to be. The 14 years Nigeria civil rule is not satisfactory because Nigerians could not have enjoyed the real dividend of democracy. What we have is mere transition from military rule to civilian rule and which retired military officers are still dominating.
"For instance, the eight years of former President Olusegun Obasanjo regime did not bring much transformation as expected by Nigerians. Obasanjo ruled with same military mentality he did when he was the Head of State. His first term was not different at all from the military rule because he did everything within his power to subdue the National Assembly and the judiciary. These are supposed to be separate and independent arms of government with the responsibilities to check and balance the activities of the executive."
According to Osoba, "the nature and style of democracy we had under Obasanjo could be described as that which totally distabilised the National Assembly. What I meant by this is that within a period of four years, Nigeria had four presidents of the Senate, Evans Enwerem, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Ken Nnamani, Adolphus Wabara and Anyim Pius Anyim. The Executive is always interfering in the affairs of the National Assembly and does everything to subdue it.
"The only good thing I see is that Nigerians, despite all the crises and disappointments, refused to let go civil rule. Nigerians have made up their minds to embrace democracy and endure whatever happened instead of returning to military rule. I felt they did this with the hope that someday those anomalies would be corrected".
Former Senator, Victor Kassim Isa Oyofo, who represented Edo-North Constituency from 1999 to 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), believes Nigeria is still in the learning the process of democracy. He listed the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) and corruption as the greatest threats to democracy.
"I will not join the fray that says Nigeria democracy in the last 14 years is an outright failure. If I concluded like that, the implication is that we have not really done anything or move an inch from where we were in 1999. That would not be a correct assessment of our situation. It is true that we have not recorded the kind of achievement one could really boast of, but in term of learning the norms and intricacies of democracy, we are moving forward," he said.
Oyofo noted that the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government is not yet smooth as it ought to be "but I still want to agree that we are learning. My critical observation of the three-tiers of government, that is the federal, state and local governments, is that the governors are gradually turning themselves into what the Constitution does not say and this constitutes threat to our democracy.
"For instance, I strongly opposed the activities of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF). I don't know why the association is now trying to play a constitutional role other than seeing itself as mere association under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and unfortunately, members of the public are ignorantly collaborating with NGF to act contrary to the constitution. This has become a threat to our democracy and should not be part of what we must learn."
The Guardian