A former senator from Abia State and one-time state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party , Chief Emma Nwaka, has said that Nigeria’s democracy has experienced major setbacks in the last six years, but quickly added that despite this, democracy remains the best form of government.
According to him, unlike the First Republic that lasted for less than six years and Second Republic that fizzled out in about four years, the Third Republic that started from 1999 till date has been an exception. He noted that the PDP-led Federal Government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan never made discrimination based on ethnicity and religion a policy that drove their administrations.
“The state of the nation today is abysmally low. There is crisis of confidence all over the country. The situation has gotten so bad that southern governors have united under one umbrella to ask for the restructuring of Nigeria. “The good thing about democracy is that the people owns the power and they cede it willingly for a fixed time. Nigeria has another chance in 2023 to recast its democratic trajectory.
His words: “Well there has not been military interventions; there has been continuity, but that is not to say that there is the best in Nigeria. What matters is not how long; what matters is how well. They have not justified it. We have been talking about lack of electricity, lack of good roads, corruption everywhere. Our political leaders have not been ruling responsibly enough for the people to appreciate it. Our leaders must do well in making sure our institutions work.
“Since 2009, the Northeast has been hit by security challenges. Boko Haram in their bid to establish an Islamic state following a strict interpretation of Islamic law has waged a deadly insurgency.“The violence has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes. The violence has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition against the armed group.
He noted that at the heart of the euphoria for democracy was the belief that people would be better governed and become more prosperous, regretting that after 22 years of democratic governance, the lot of the average Nigerian has not improved in any profound sense.