Nigeria setting pace of stable democracy in Africa – Analysts
Democracy
By Reporters
Bauchi, June 12, 2024 (NAN) Some analysts have said that the 25 years of uninterrupted cilivian administration in Nigeria is laying the foundation of a strong and stable democracy in Africa.
The experts including academics, activists and political actors said this while commenting on the 2024 Demoocracy Day celebration in Bauchi, Dutse and Gombe.
They said that Nigerians have displayed great political acumen and patriotism towards promoting democratic culture in the last 25 years in spite of security, social and economic challenges and the country.
Mr Muhammad Musbahu, the Convener, Friends of Democracy Initiative, a Jigawa-based group, said that Nigeria had achieved a significant milestone in achieving 25-year of uninterrupted democracy.
He said Nigeria was setting a pace of stable democracy in Africa, in view of its political and economic importance in the continent.
Musbahu, however, said the progress mellowed down due to corruption and poor governance at state and local government levels.
“Nigeria is facing corruption, abuse of power and politicisation of everything.
“The country is grappling with poverty, high illiteracy rate, banditry, maternal and child mortality,” he said.
He noted that ensuring effective financial and political autonomy to the legislature, judiciary and local government councils would further entrench democratic governance at the grassroots.
Also commenting, Dr Kabir Abubakar, a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bauchi State University (BASU), Gadau, said that Nigeria recorded succeesses in its economic diversification drive, especially agricultural transformation.
He said the successive administrations under the current democratic dispensation initiated viable agriculture development programmes, to reduce poverty, provide livelihoods, encourage productivity and boost government’s revenue base.
The initiatives, he said, enhanced farmer access to credit facilities, inputs and improved entrepreneurial skills, thus adding value to the produce.
Corroborating Abubakar, a female farmer in Bauchi, Marka Abbas, lauded the federal government’s agricultural interventions, adding that it empowered them and enhance food security.
“Agriculture made positive contributions in building the national economy in spite of the challenges of limited access to markets, climate change, and insecurity,” she said.
Similarly; Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said there is no better alternative to democracy as a form of government.
“As Nigeria celebrates its 25th Democracy day, it is a testimony to the fact that democratic governance has not only been firmly rooted but has also come to stay in the country,” he said.
Mohammed reiterated the commitment of his administration to accountability and transparency in governance, pledging that the resources at the government’s disposal would continue to be judiciously used for the common good of the people of the State.
“We will continue to ensure value for money for the projects that would be executed. To this end, the resources we have would be deployed for maximal effect on the socio-economic development of the State.
“We cannot afford to embark on projects that have little or no effect on the wellbeing of the generality of the people of the State,” he said.
The governor noted that the current economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy was receiving the attention of both the federal and state governments.
However, Dr Hassan Langa, a Lecturer, Federal College of Education (Tech), Gombe, said that Nigeria had made retrogressive progress in the last two decades.
He attributed the problem to corruption and lack of respect for the rule of law among the political leadership.
Hassan said that flagrant abuse of constitutional provisions was eroding the quest towards building Nigeria’s nascent democracy.
“In 1999, local government elections were better off, because they were not conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commissions.
“Fir instance, the then governor of Gombe State, was in the APP, and out of 11 LGAs, seven were PDP and the remaining four of the APP, which was the reflection of the desire of the people.
“But today at 25, any governor of any party will always have all the councillors and chairmen won by his party.
“That is the kind of retrogression, it is not better than when we started, and it is supposed to be better than when we started,” he said.
He, however, said the country made progress, especially in the area of higher education, rail and road infrastructure in the last 25 years of civilian administration. (NAN) (
www.nannews.ng)
Reporters/RSA
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Edited by Rabiu Sani-Ali
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