Yan Nigeria
Human rights lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, has questioned the type of democracy being practised in Nigeria, saying there is a need to rejig the entire system.
According to him, it is obvious that there is something fundamentally wrong with the model of democracy Nigeria is practising, and there is a need to change it.
Naija News reports that Agbakoba, who spoke on Monday during an appearance on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the current democracy being practised in Nigeria was foisted upon the country by the westerners, and the time has come to change it because it is obviously not working.
He also questioned the commitment of politicians to democracy in Nigeria and the way so many of them have been trooping to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), submitting that they are only interested in grabbing power and economic survival.
“I thought that things would have been a lot better than what we have today. And I’ve looked at it very carefully, and I say something must be wrong, that after, not even 25, let’s go to 1960: so we have had military coups in and out, then finally democracy for over 25 years. Something is fundamentally wrong in a process that is not delivering.
“In my reflections, and I’ve reflected quite a lot, I just came to a conclusion that it’s time to shed ourselves of this Western model – the Oyibo model, the model that the Europeans and the Americans have foisted on us – it’s not working,” Agbakoba said.
Nigerians Are Not Really Interested In Who The President Is
Speaking further, the popular lawyer said Nigerians are not really interested in who the president of the country is, but are more interested in getting their basic needs met.
He said, “If you ask Nigerians, broadly speaking, right now: ‘Who would you want to vote for?’ They will just tell you we want to vote for food in our tummies, good schools, good roads, pay us our salaries on time, housing — the things that make them comfortable,” the senior advocate said, citing China’s growth despite the country not practicing democracy.
“Nigerians are not really interested in who the president is. They’re interested in a president who will deliver. That’s why it’s necessary to also be sure that you have a good president.”
A New System
Agbakoba insisted that the model of democracy being practised in Nigeria is not effective; hence, there is a need to dump the European model and adopt something that works for Nigerians.
“So I want the conversation to start by asking the question. Is this thing working for us?
“My own answer is that the Western model of democracy, maybe it’s working in Europe, but it’s certainly not working here. So, what is it that we can put on the table that will work?
“I think that the first thing to do is to recognize that this country is very divided along ethnic, religious, and linguistic lines,” Agbakoba said.
Defections Weakening Democracy
The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) added that the wave of defections from opposition parties to the APC is not helping democracy in Nigeria, but only weakening it.
He said opposition members must be ready to pay the price to make Nigeria work.
“If the opposition thinks that they’re making any sense, I’d better tell them tonight they’re not. And if they think they have a chance for 2027, they have two years to wake up.
“But if the answer is to keep defecting, that’s not going to help Nigerians because it will not strengthen democracy. It would rather weaken it, and that’s the big shame. So, in reality, the real challenge is, ‘Where are those people who are prepared to sacrifice to be in the opposition and make it work?’ That is the challenge. That is the only way that Nigeria can work,” the lawyer submitted.
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