The Ekiti democracy

What that means also is that in the ordinary it should play the role of a model so that others that are not as educated could learn to copy from the activities of these eggheads who ordinarily should be in control of the administration and governance of the state.The first major shock came with the […]

What that means also is that in the ordinary it should play the role of a model so that others that are not as educated could learn to copy from the activities of these eggheads who ordinarily should be in control of the administration and governance of the state.
The first major shock came with the governorship election earlier in the year in which the incumbent;a polished elite, Dr. KayodeFayemi, was flushed out of office by once impeached governor Ayo Fayose. Many reasons were said to as responsible for that electoral twist. Some said it was because Fayemi was too elitist and run the government of the state as it should be as provided in the books of Western liberalism.
Others say no, the defeat of Fayemi was dictated by the huge unconventional methods of Fayose who has now elevated the phrase ‘stomach infrastructure’ as central to politics and governance within the Nigerian political vocabulary.
Whatever the reasons were is not the focus of this piece. We are interested in the manner in which the government and democracy in the state has been conducted since the assumption of office of the current governor a few months ago.
The latest of this model of democracy was not when seven members of the state assembly sat and removed the speaker while 19 other members were not in session. This came about the same time when the replica of the Ekiti palaver was rearing its ugly head in the green chamber of the National Assembly through the actions or inactions of IGP Suleiman Abba.
The nation saw the Ekiti style, concerned segments complained and made sufficient inputs but that didn’t change anything. The authorities in Abuja that control the coercive apparatuses of the Nigerian state did not see anything wrong with that and the renegade minority members have since gone away with that and the rest is what follows today.
From the time the seven members ‘impeached’ the speaker of the majority to this date, what we see coming from that elite state is amazing. That is not too much of the problem, but the silence of those in Abuja that would have deployed soldiers and police to remove a MurtalaNyako and support the illegitimate rule of impunity in Adamawa is amazing and counter to the principles of justice and good governance.
The latest of such impunity from Ado Ekiti came when very recently the state governor chose to present the 2015 appropriation bill to just seven members of the assembly with their ‘speaker’ presiding. What is the import of this on the nation’s democracy? In the event that these seven members eventually pass the budget, what is the constitutional implication of the action and can we say that the executive and legislature in EkitiState are acting in contravention of the Nigerian constitution?
I think what is happening in this country today is amazing to the fact that those who control state power and who ordinarily should jealously defend the rule of law are those at the forefront of its abuse and truncation. Can a system survive under this situation? I don’t think so and definitely this is an affront on the people of this country.
If the constitution has specified how public funds are appropriated, it is astonishing if those who the grand norm empowers to do so are denied this opportunity by a segment of the ruling class that is recalcitrant. If seven out of 26 means a majority which the constitution and laws of the assembly is a sufficient number to approve budgetary proposal, then, the meaning of democracy has been tragically changed and this spells danger to the entire nation and its polity.
One thing we lack as a people is the right attitude and mind to do things the way they are supposed to be done. The failure of this is responsible for why things are not working correctly in the country. We must do things in tandem with the standards and best practices as others do them. Gone are the days when at the slightest opportunity Nigerians would tell you that the country is not a developed world. Others that are even less ‘developed’ are doing better and trying hard by sheer attitudinal correction and they are getting things right.
I love the Niger Republic example that I often give whenever indiscipline is under discussion; an arid environment, with little natural resources if compared with the Nigerian scenario. What goes for Niger Republic is attitude that is anchored on discipline. There you see how discipline has successfully given a blow to poverty. With the little that they have, they are orderly and there is law.
Law is the foundation of justice and stability. The moment laws are disregarded and abused, the more the society drives into anarchy and confusion and I think that is the Nigerian problem. If seven out of 26 would constitute a majority in a parliament and those who are supposed to correct the situation look straight just because the infraction is in their interest and favour, then, the nation is in crisis,serious crisis.
The federal government in Abuja has for a very long time supervised illegalities and indiscipline. This has contributed tremendously to the national confusion. This goes further to prove a point of view that some of us often think that the problem with Nigeria is more with the attitude of the ruling class and even the followership.
It is not about the efficacy of the laws. The laws are there but those who are supposed to protect and enforce them abuse them. This democracy in Ekiti is frightening as the federal authorities are looking aloof.
Nigerians must rise up and request their representatives at various levels of government to do what is right and hold them accountable. The excuse of poverty and other societal shortfalls must not continue to undermine the capacity of the citizens to act appropriately when their leaders assault them and I think that is the Ekiti problem in particular and the Nigerian problem in general.