Democracy is a big let down in Africa
by Aliyu Huhu
It is an anathema to growth. You can say all the advantages of democracy, but the truth is Nigerians are too indisplined, too tribalistic and too bigoted to let it work. In fact some of the conditions needed to make democracy work are not yet attained in Nigeria. Some of them are large middle class and high level of literacy among the people.
We like to blame America for our failures. Was it America that advised us to promote almajiri education to state virtue? Was it the Western countries that told us not to punish anyone for stealing? Even when the western countries jailed their nationals in scandals that had to do with our people, a stealing that happened in Nigeria,we promoted our own criminals to position of leadership and blamed the West for our inadequacies.
The Wilbros, Halliburton and Siemens scandals had portrayed us as an unserious nation. African countries like Uganda, Congo DRC, Republic of Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, CAR,Togo, Angola and Cameroon are not democratic.
In Nigeria, the kind of leaders we saw in the past 27 years are making me to have nostalgia for the military. The nation did not stagnate under military.There was less crime because as a nation, Nigeria had the capacity to punish criminals.The military executed armed robbers, drug traffickers,murderers and terrorists,including their sponsors.
Today as we entered our most violent period in peace time, civilians have not been able to carry one death sentence even as terrorists and bandits are blowing the nation to pieces on daily basis.
No military government will tolerate school abduction and ransom payments the way we see it today. Military will not negotiate with terrorists that blew Abuja train. Under military ,state government officials would not organize bandits to kidnap students and withdrew money for ransom and have the students returned after few days.
Under this democracy,armed robbers,kidnappers and bandits are living in utopia. The state is on perpetual holiday in dealing with violent crimes. Even with all we accused them of stealing ,at least military leaders built the refineries,had national carrier, built LNG plant, third mainland bridge and Abuja. You can’t imagine life in Nigeria without those economic and social infrastructure. And they were earning less money. They at least kept us in peace. No kidnapping under military, which is an impossible task for today’s leaders.
No government under this dispensation can build a bridge the length and breadth of Third Mainland or build a brand new city like Abuja, not even on paper.
The military created the states and local governments and demarcated the boundaries. All our social and economic infrastructure were built by the military including all the refineries and LNG. Abacha in particular spent 70% of his budgets on capital projects and we are still plying his PTF roads. With all the billions civilians received since 1999, they have failed to repair Benin – Ore Road. There is good road to connect Abuja with Lagos or Portharcourt. But Babangida built Abuja – Kaduna – Kano dual carriageway in under 2 years. The road saved lives. In 23 years Abuja – Lokoja express is still under construction. Meanwhile it was Abacha that rehabilitated Port Harcourt – Enugu express and built Aluminium Smelter company in Ikot,-Abasi while Obasanjo built Aladja steel rolling Mills.
Aliyu Nuhu
Leave a comment