The June 12, Democracy Day ! Nigeria needs to re-think aloud!
In Nigeria ” There are theoretically elected President, Governors, local government chairmen, and legislative bodies at the national , state and local level. Everybody understands that elections in Nigeria, like in all seemingly totalitarian regimes, are a sideshow, the real power is elsewhere, and who is elected is decided in advance by the power that be
Ayodeji however, called for the system of a new democracy(People’s congresses) “ that will be a great creation in the history of political systems as well as a brand new system of great significance in the political history of both Nigeria and the world.” In fact, Ayodeji said, the system will prove that “democracy is a key tenet unswervingly upheld by the Nigeria Political class ” He added that for example China is winning the “institutional competition” with other countries by proving that it is more democratic and its democracy is more effective.
In Humpty Dumpty context . How can we pretend that a country where the majority are struggling to thrive and survive is democratic, indeed the best democracy in the world? By changing the meaning of the words.
Abdulrauf explained the Humpty Dumpty methodology first. It consists of undermining the common sense idea that words have a generally accepted meaning. Not so, says the AbdulRauf. “There are many ways to achieve democracy, and there can be no cookie-cutter approach. It is inherently undemocratic to use a single yardstick to measure the widely different political systems of the world, and examine the many colors of the world’s political civilizations of mankind with eyes attuned only to black and white.” There is no “patent” on democracy, AbdulRauf insisted, nor authorities who can decide who is democratic and who is not.
This may elicit the sympathy of many dictators throughout the world, but ultimately means that “democracy” is a word whose meaning does not correspond to a reasonable definition but, in Humpty Dumpty’ terms, depends on “which is to be master.” Since the leadership has all power in Nigeria, it has also the power to define what democracy is. Democracy in Nigeria is what the leadership says it is.
If some believe that the test for democracy is that legislators and governments are elected in free and fair elections (precisely what does not happen in Nigeria ), they are mistaken, AbdulRauf Criticizing the originator of a generic democracy, he stated that, “Democracy is not true if the people are awakened only at the time of voting and then go to sleep, if they listen to the hype only at the time of campaigning and then have no voice after the election, if they are favored only at the time of campaigning and then are left out after the election.”
“Democracy is not for decoration, but for solving problems that the people need to solve,” Ayodeji said. The best of Democracy means that “the people is the master of the country.” This is the etymological meaning of “democracy,” but how do the people speak and are represented? In Nigeria answered, this must happen through “the leadership of the Political Party in power .” Evidence that the Party represents the people is offered by the “economic miracles” and the building of a powerful and stable nation.Nigeria can be better than we are at the moment
These are not the tests to ascertain whether a country is democratic. Before World War II, Nazi Germany was generally regarded as a powerful, prosperous, and stable country. That did not make it democratic. How does the power that be prove that Nigeria is democratic? By changing the meaning of the word
and act for the people’s interest , protect the commonwealth, and use for the benefits of the masses based on the social contract for good living .
Happy Democracy Day! 🇳🇬 Nigerians
Dr Ayodeji AbdulWahid AbdulRauf FCS,
CEO/Founder ThinkStartUp Beyond Borders Inc www.thinkstartupbeyondborders.com
