Our democracy encourages corruption and violence

 The 19 years of stable democracy in Nigeria has encouraged more corruption and violence than physical and human development in the country. Recently, we marked another Democracy Day. Though the achievements recorded by this government could be seen as a step forward towards establishing a solid liberal democracy, it is, however, not enough to rate […]

 The 19 years of stable democracy in Nigeria has encouraged more corruption and violence than physical and human development in the country.

Recently, we marked another Democracy Day. Though the achievements recorded by this government could be seen as a step forward towards establishing a solid liberal democracy, it is, however, not enough to rate the nation democracy as successful.

It is supposed to be a period of self assessment and reflections of the   mistakes we are making and ask whether we are running civil rule or democratic rule.

Nigeria’s democracy has been full of corruption right from process of electing leaders at the party level to the power seat.

We have seen within the last 18 years of stable democracy and how political office holders embezzled and stole trillions of Naira more than any military regime.

Nigerians have accused military regimes of dictatorship rule and abuse of human rights but the civil rule could not improve the lives of the citizens. That is not to mean we should jettison democracy for military rule.

It is in record that since the disengagement of military from Power in 1999, the nation has witnessed the emergence kind of corrupt syndrome  of  governance such as  the spread of “Ghana must go’’ and distribution of  “White Cakes’’ by some governors.

We have also witnessed the escalations of more communal, ethnic and religious violence more than ever before in Nigeria, which largely were masterminded by political elites.

The present state of insecurity especially in the North is a spillover of the crises and violence inherited from the Obasanjo, Yar’adua and Goodluck administrations which is consuming lives and property of Nigerians.

For example, the state of uncertainty in North-East and some parts of Zamfara, Benue and Kaduna states are dangerous points in the country.

Democracy must bring peace and development to the people otherwise it would make no meaning to any nation. It is true that up to this period, millions of Nigerians are battling with frustrations caused by poverty, unemployment, high cost of living and perpetual state of desperation.

It is absolutely wrong for people to measure economic development of the nation from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) without looking at the Human Development Index. It is ironical to have plenty of money in our foreign reserve, while our huge debt is still irreconcilable and the people are living in an abject poverty.

Honestly, the anti-corruption crusade by the Buhari administration is full of anomalies because the fight is at the level of elites, forgetting that it is institutionalized and the fight must reach every Nigerian irrespective of   class.

Unless the present administration evolves new ways of injecting sanity among Nigerians by making everybody accountable to his action, the fight against corruption would be a myth.

We need changes in our judicial system and security operations to stop freeing corrupt judges from trails or arresting only those in opposition party for corrupt practices. He who wants equity should come with clean hands

Lawal  Adamu Usman, Unguwan Dosa, Kaduna.