A former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has expressed deep concern over the form of democracy in Africa, describing it as a failure because it lacks the context and content of the diverse African countries.
Obasanjo argued that even before the arrival of colonial masters, African people had a form of government that attended to the needs of its people, saying, “And whatever you call it, to me, it is democracy.”
The former President Obasanjo stated this during former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Emeka Ihedioha’s 60th birthday colloquium, which took place on Monday in Abuja while presenting his paper titled “Democracy: Is it Failing in Africa?”
Obasanjo said, “We should remember that in Africa, before colonial rule and colonial power, we had a form of government that attended to the needs of our people.
“Because what is democracy about? The American President Abraham Lincoln defined it as a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
“Democracy is meant to be a system of government that delivers to all the people, not just a section of the people, not just a few,” he stated.
He further criticised the “Western liberal democracy” being practised in Africa, describing it as a representative democracy by just a few people over millions of deprived individuals who lack basic amenities that they are entitled to. “And representative democracy has now taken care of everybody. Today, we have democracy, a government of the people, by a small number of people, over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life.”
He reiterated, “So if you are talking of democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed. And why has it failed?
“Because it didn’t have any context or content that is African. It has no aspect of our culture or way of life—what we stand for and believe in.”
Obasanjo argued that for democracy to succeed in Africa, it should have elements of African culture in its context and content; otherwise, it would continue to fail.
“What sort of democracy brings you in, and you grab everything illegally and corruptly, and then you say, ‘Go to court,’ where you know that even in the court, you cannot get justice?
“So if democracy is failing, democracy is dying. And if we are going to prevent democracy from dying, we have to look at democracy in the context and content of Africa,” Obasanjo added.
*Kukah: It takes time to mature
Also, the keynote speaker, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, argued that democracy is often misunderstood and questioned whether it truly works anywhere, not just in Africa.
He referenced classical Athens and highlighted that democracy has always been exclusive, with many groups historically left out.
“Nigeria has failed to address its citizens’ issues,” he added.
“In African democracy, there are people who decide who breathes and does not breathe,” he said.
The birthday celebration was attended by respected individuals from all walks of life in Nigeria, including former governors, ministers, and senators, to mention but a few.
Also in attendance were former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and the immediate past governor of Katsina Aminu Masari.
Speaking at the event, Atiku said Ihedioha has remained loyal even when they found themselves on different political platforms.
“Emeka and I have kept this relationship, and until today, I have found him extremely loyal, dedicated, and focused. Even though sometimes we found ourselves on different political divides, we kept our relationship, and I think that testifies to the kind of person Emeka is,” he said.
“When he told me about this event, I was almost complaining; I said, ‘Emeka, this is Ramadan. We’re in the last 10 days of Ramadan. In the last 10 days of Ramadan, we don’t sleep at night. We sleep during the day. He said, ‘But oga, try and make it.’ And I said, ‘Ok, I will make it.’ Here we are today.”
