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WAYS NIDO
CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY
IN NIGERIA
Brief Speech by:
Dr. Peter O. Agwi
Vice President,
Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation Germany
(NIDO-GERMANY) e.V.
At the Democracy Day Celebration
in Germany, Berlin May 29th, 2005
Mr Chairman,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
We thank you for this opportunity given to NIDO to address you on
“Ways NIDO can contribute to the consolidation of democracy in
Nigeria” to mark the celebration of African Democracy Day.
We believe that this day is a time to pause and reflect on all our
activities in general, reflecting on where we are coming from, where
we are today and where we are going tomorrow. It’s a day to start
making preparations for a better and democratic world for us all.
As we celebrate democracy day and before I go on to elaborate on
ways NIDO can contribute to the consolidation of democracy in
Nigeria, it will be proper to understand the meaning of
consolidation of democracy.
Democracy in general can be considered consolidated when it becomes
internalised behaviourally, attitudinally and constitutionally.
(Juan Linz and Alfred Stephen – Problems of Democratic Transition
and Consolidation)
Behaviourally, a democracy is consolidated when no significant
national, social, economic, political or institutional actors spend
significant resources attempting to achieve their objectives by
creating a non-democratic regime or by seceding from the state.
Attitudinally, a democracy is consolidated when a strong majority of
public opinion, even in the midst of major economic problems and
deep dissatisfaction with incumbents, holds the belief that
democratic procedures and institutions are the most appropriate way
to govern collective life, and when support for anti-system
alternatives is quite small or isolated from pro-democratic forces.
Constitutionally, a democracy is consolidated when governmental and
non-governmental forces alike become subject to, and habituated to,
the resolution of conflict within the bounds of the specific laws,
procedures and institutions sanctioned by the new democratic
process.
And for a democracy to be consolidated, the following specific
conditions has to prevail:
First, the condition must exist for the development of a free and
lively society and promote freedom of press.
Second, there must be an autonomous political society and respect of
human rights,
Third, throughout the state all major political actors, especially
the government and the state apparatus must be subjected to a rule
of law that protects individual freedom and are subject to
transparency and accountability.
Fourth, there must be in place a state bureaucracy to protect the
rights of citizens and to deliver other basic services.
Fifth, there must exist an institutionalised economic society where
regulations, policies and institutions that sustain a mixed economy
are in place and working.
In general, a democracy, in order to be sustainable, must produce
policies that generate government mandated public goods in the areas
of education, health and transportation it must also provide an
economic safety net for its citizens and some alleviation of gross
economic inequality.
In democratic terms, over the years Nigeria has witnessed the birth
of political parties, active involvement in politics by civil and
religious sectors and the opening-up of some democratic spaces after
years of military rule.
However, factors such as lack of protection of political and civil
rights, prevalence of authoritarian tendencies, tampering of
electoral processes, and structural inhibitions strongly supported
by the ruling elite indicate that democracy is far from being
consolidated in the country. Other factors that are undermining
democratic consolidation are ethnicization of politics and the decay
of the State, corrupt and egoistical leaders who have an addiction
to power and patronage that only undemocratic governments can
guarantee, lack of national ideologies and a national platform of
democratization, disunity and disorganization of opposition parties
and “pro-democracy” forces, popular lethargy to democratization, and
other factors that comprise an enabling environment. Political
realities from our country’s past and present political process have
proven that multipartism does not automatically ensure democratic
consolidation, nor does the holding of multiparty elections bring
about development and political stability.
Democracy, sometimes used as a euphemism for “good governance,” is
now seen as a key ingredient for economic development, a guarantor
for peace, and a value that is crucial for the integration of the
country. However, the building of democratic societies depends on
the existence of a leadership that understands and embraces
democratic ideals, political institutions that will be repository
and guarantor of democratic values, and civil society and
international actors playing specific and clearly defined roles.
Furthermore, a certain enabling environment must prevail.
The Role of Leadership in Democratic Transitions
In order for genuine democracy to flourish in Nigeria, there must be
leaders who are committed to democratic ideals and practices. A
daunting challenge facing Nigeria is how it can get “good leaders”
who are committed democrats.
Poor leadership is also exhibited by how badly opposition political
parties in Nigeria are led - an indication of the lack of leadership
qualities among those vying to assume the reigns of State power. In
view of poor leadership among opposition parties and the
unwillingness of the ruling elites to open up the political space
for all the major contestants for State power the success of
democratic transitions will have to be placed in the hands of a new
generation of political leaders. These leaders must have a clear
understanding of democracy, make commitments to its ideals, and
acquire experience in practicing it through political processes such
as party politics. This in essence is a call for leadership
training. The future of Nigeria will depend on leadership with
training, integrity, honesty and high moral character.
The Role of Civil Society:
Civil society is regarded in many countries as the foundation of
liberty, agents for promoting political values, and advocates for
social justice, democratic participation and good governance. Civil
society can play an important role in both democratic transition and
consolidation if they remain voluntary, self-regulating, autonomous
of the State, and subscribe to sets of common rules that guide and
regulate their activities.
In its advocacy role, civil society can act as channels through
which citizens articulate their interests, particularly in
situations where political parties are weak, disorganized and
“represent factional politics rather than competing ideologies”
(Dicklitch 1998). Besides being advocates for alternative policy
agenda, civil society can also advocate for social change by
exerting pressure on the State to make structural changes and to
produce policy outputs that enhance societal interests.
However, the role of civil society, like that of political parties,
in the democratization process can be impeded by dependence on
external funding, hostile governments, and cleavages such as
ethnicity, religion and gender bias that characterizes Nigerian
politics.
The Role of International actors
Although international actors, particularly the donor community,
have played a significant role by putting pressure on recalcitrant
national elite to make “democratic” concessions, it is also
noticeable that foreigners have had their own agendas. The heavy
reliance of opposition parties and civil society on foreign support
does not augur well for the introduction and consolidation of
democracy. This is particularly so because this relationship is
creating a dependency syndrome that is detrimental in the long-term,
as the democratic values and practices that will eventually be
introduced and consolidated will be reflective of those of the
foreign interests that supported them. In terms of promoting their
own agenda, western donors and patrons seem to be obsessed with
elections and adoption of capitalism as conditions for continued
financial hand outs.
The importance of an enabling environment:
The poor enabling environment that has hamstrung the introduction
and consolidation of democracy in Nigeria has historical roots.
Colonialism, and later neo colonialism, not only failed to cultivate
a political culture which can sustain democracy but also installed
inhibitions in the political structures that have been reinforced by
power hungry ruling elite. Capitalizing on the poor understanding of
their citizens’ political and civil rights, and eager to please
western donors and patrons, Nigerian leaders have shown no genuine
commitment to engaging in substantive democratic practices.
Furthermore, no effort has been made to define a type of democracy
that fits in the Nigerian context and reflects the people’s
realities. This means that before we prescribe the societal
conditions that need to exist for democracy to be introduced and
consolidated, we must first clarify the type of democracy that is
appropriate and can survive in the Nigerian context. And we
sincerely hope that the present on going National Political Reform
conference will help to find a solution to this challenge.
Creating an enabling environment for democracy to flourish will
partly entail political education of the leaders and the masses on
the meaning and the practice of democracy. A commonly and
universally accepted definition of democracy must be arrived at so
that the people know what to expect from the ruling and opposition
parties, civil society, the international well-wishers/supporters
and others involved in the promotion of democratic ideals. Likewise,
leaders should also know what to expect from the ruled and the
standards they are being held under. The people in Nigeria must
first agree on the types of societies they desire and, more
importantly, agree on their national political values; in the
process deciding whether democracy is one of them. It should be
noted further that establishing a lasting democracy requires a civic
virtue - a civic education of a kind that brings people to
understand both the rights and the obligations of citizenship.
Building the capacities of political parties:
In promoting democracy in Nigeria, there has been little emphasis on
building the capacities of political parties, particularly those in
the opposition. Instead, the focus has mostly been on multiparty
elections and in particular the number of political parties, how
regularly elections are held, and voter turnouts. This in turn has
resulted in electoral politics becoming the central focus for the
opposition parties, foreign interests and political analysts. By
overstocking on the elections, little investment has been made to
strengthen the institutional capacities of opposition parties to
enable them to be viable contenders for power or to be effective
agents for installation of democratic societies.
The Role of Nigerians in Diaspora:
We believe that NIDO can play a part in the consolidation of
democracy in Nigeria by:
1. Direct participation in the political process that is going on in
Nigeria through established or her own independent political party.
2. Forming a forum for discussion and exchange of intellectual ideas
that would help to promote the growth of the country’s National
economy, democracy and political relevance.
3. Promoting effective leadership development of our citizens in
general and that of our political leaders in particular. This will
emphasize high ethical standards, commitment to civic and social
responsibility, appreciation and celebration of and respect for the
diverse citizenry of our nation.
4. Sponsoring various activities which promote increased business
and economic development as well as the political and leadership
opportunities for our citizens through seminars, lecture series,
annual meetings, etc.
5. Assisting in promoting and enhancing a good image for Nigeria in
the international arena.
6. Serving as technical advisers, partners and act as catalyst with
Nigeria in development of policies, organisation and implementation
of social and economical programs.
7. Contributing to the socio-economic development of Nigeria by
volunteering their time and skills, writing and commenting in the
media on good and bad practices by the Nigerian government and
citizens.
8. Propagating ideals based on our experiences of living and
practicing abroad.
9. Contributing money to respective community associations. Such
funds are to be used to build town halls, churches, village roads,
hospitals, markets, class rooms and boreholes for community use.
Prospects for Democracy in Nigeria
All things considered, what is the prospect for consolidation of
democracy in Nigeria? In assessing the prospects for the
consolidation of democracy in Nigeria, NIDO-Germany believe that
despite the pitfalls for introducing and consolidating democracy
highlighted in this paper, we are optimistic, that democratic
transitions in Nigeria will continue moving forward rather than
backward.
While acknowledging the high prospects for democratic transition and
consolidation in Nigeria, we must also point out that it is a
daunting challenge not only to develop and to preserve full
democracy but also to introduce it. It is an uphill effort that will
require enormous political will, national discipline and sacrifice,
and vast financial expenses. But with good planning and careful
introduction, full and genuine democracy will definitely flourish in
Nigeria in the near future. With a rich enabling environment, proper
political leadership and institutions, a vibrant civil society, and
a well-meaning and appropriate international support, it would be
just a matter of time before the people of our country start reaping
the fruits of democracy.
Thank you. |
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