After 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, Gabriel Dewan, the speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, claims that both himself and other Nigerian politicians have let the people down. For this reason, Mr. Dewan, who spoke with reporters in Jos on Wednesday, gave Nigeria’s democracy a low rating. The speaker asserted that although the nation was endowed with an abundance of natural and human resources, its leaders had failed to effectively utilize them.
He said Nigeria should be far better than it is presently because of its natural resources and the benefits God has showered upon it. According to Mr. Dewan, some nations had far less resources than Nigeria but were nevertheless in far better shape. Given that military regimes constructed the majority of this nation’s infrastructure, some of us occasionally even start to question whether it would be preferable to go back to military rule.
“Under military control, the majority of our federal roadways, local government units, and states were established. Based on my assessment, Nigeria’s democratic performance from 1999 to the present day deserves a score of 7% out of 100%. This pertains to every industry, including infrastructure, health, education, and more. Think about this: our ministers of education in Nigeria now send their kids to private schools.
“Our health minister does not go to public hospitals to get medical care. He stated, “Even heads of local government are too timid to enrol their own children in public schools, which they oversee directly. He asserts that leaders ought to accept accountability. He continued by saying that Nigeria’s current democratic processes must be entirely changed because they do not represent true democracy.
“As leaders, may we have the wisdom to act and think in a way that truly embodies democracy. Should we not, these issues will persist. We have performed appallingly under democracy since 1999, and we need a complete overhaul,” Mr. Dewan continued.
