Nigeria marks today the 26th anniversary of the Fourth Republic and the return of democratic governance in the country. It is a milestone worth celebrating ordinarily, considering the twists and turns of the preceding military administrations, and how civilians, against all odds, eventually took over the reins of government.
However, it is doubtful whether Nigerians have an inspiring story to tell after 26 years of democracy, apart from the consolation of having kept the Khaki boys away consecutively for 26 years. While that feat is in itself laudable, it is certainly not enough to gloat about.
It is indeed a miracle that the country has endured the past 26 years without a major political casualty, given that the so-called democrats ruling the country for that period have unfortunately redefined democracy, not as a government for the people, but as a government for themselves and their cohorts. That is sad and constitutes a big blot over the celebration of democracy anniversary in the country.
The political class should use today to reflect on how the country got to its present unwholesome condition. Let them remember the toil and sacrifices made to push the military to the barracks. They must realise that they owe a sacred duty to preserve the system and operate by the rules. Nigerians did not retrieve the country from military dictators to hand it to civilian despots and pilferers. Politicians should beware and not take Nigerians for granted; it’s either the country practices democracy or not.
There is no gainsaying that democracy as a form of government that seeks equity and justice is in disarray in this country because political rulers have neglected the time-honoured principles associated with it, without which the system must crumble. The country is on the brink of crumbling under the weight of greed, corruption, nepotism, mismanagement, impunity and utter disregard for the plight of the common man. All politicians in government have fallen short of the constitutional duty of safeguarding the security and welfare of Nigerians, which, under the country’s legal grundnorm, is the primary purpose of government.
Democracy prioritises the rule of the people and the supremacy of law over the individual whims of political authorities. Politicians have abandoned that principle, and the people do not matter in their reckoning. Governance in today’s Nigeria revolves around a tiny class of persons who find their ways into public offices and around the tiny personnel in the bureaucracies, who spend over 60 per cent of budgets to furnish themselves. Whatever is left for capital development is often stalled by corruption and bureaucratic red tape.
Over 100 million Nigerians are left to wallow in abject poverty. The World Bank reported this month, May 2025 that the poverty rate among rural Nigerians is now 75 per cent and that poverty will grow by 3.6 percentage points by 2027. That is disheartening.
The political class has abandoned inclusion and citizens’ participation in the country’s democracy. Women and youths are systemically excluded through hijack of the party system by powerful individuals, who then allocate elective and appointive positions to their surrogates. In Nigeria’s Senate, there are only four women (one has been suspended) out of 109 members, a mere 2.7 per cent. There are just 17 female lawmakers in the 360-member House of Representatives, a ridiculous 4.7 per cent.
Some state Assemblies have no single female lawmaker. It is reprehensible to shut out a significant half of the population and claim to be running a democracy. Despite the enactment of law (Not Too Young To Run), to encourage youth participation, there are only 14 lawmakers in the House of Representatives that are between 25 and 35 years (3.92 per cent) and six senators that are under 45 years. Yet, youths account for about 70 per cent of the population. Politicians are toying with the future of the country if they continue to neglect and undermine the most significant segment of Nigeria’s population.
Since 1999, our elections have been anything but free and fair. Politicians misuse the power of incumbency to manipulate elections to favour their parties. Local and international witnesses have attested to the huge defects in Nigeria’s elections. If the country wants to sustain democratic governance, politicians must ensure that the electoral system is foolproof. Public officers must be chosen through a transparent process. Anything short of this is an abuse and invitation to anarchy.
Accountability remains an inviolable part of the democratic process. But most Nigerian politicians are not accountable to the people. They are accountable to themselves and they do whatever they like, including stealing the country blind, thus enriching themselves and their cronies unjustly. In a few years into democratic governance, they had earned Nigeria the notoriety of being fantastically corrupt.
In a democracy, the rule of law is prescribed for all individuals, including public officers. But since 1999, justice has been swift for Nigerians of lower pedigree but selective for the political class. Politicians get away with financial crimes due to manipulation of the judicial system. State institutions that ought to hold the political class to account are hugely compromised. That is not democracy. It is brigandage and detestable.
There ought to be a separation of powers among the legislative, executive and judiciary. The idea is to prevent one arm from becoming too powerful. In 26 years of democracy, Nigerians have witnessed the other arms surrendering and pandering to the dictates of the executive arm. The judiciary and legislature should live up to the ethos of democracy and assert themselves. Nigerians did not fight the military to enthrone democracy only to crown a civilian dictatorship, either by error of omission or collusion.
Citizens demand that their welfare and safety be guaranteed as enshrined in the Constitution. The economic, social and political objectives outlined in Chapter Four of the Constitution should be made manifest. The drafters of the grundnorm believed that Nigerians are entitled to quality life. The political class should put into practice the intendments of the Constitution and ensure better life and safety for all Nigerians wherever they are found.
Democracy is about the people, not the present conspiracy of a tiny political class against the people. Such arrangement only breeds rampant poverty amidst plenty while the ruling class is manifestly untouched by the miseries of the people. If politicians insist on democracy, they must live by the rules. There must be equality of all men before the law. Nigeria’s institutions must be strong and not pander to the whims of strong men. The country must avoid the disaster of one-man rule, preserve this democracy, and let its dividends go round.
