After 65 Years of Independence, Bishop Kukah Says Nigeria’s Democracy is Work in Progress
After 65 years of independence, Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto described Nigeria’s democracy as a “work in progress” amid strong criticisms from former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-Governor Peter Obi over the state of democratic governance in the country.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja at a colloquium marking the 60th birthday of former Governor Emeka Ihedioha, Mr. Kukah offered a more measured perspective.
Meanwhile, Mr. Obasanjo asserted that democracy was deteriorating under the All Progressives Congress, while Mr. Obi declared it had failed and collapsed.
“Democracy is work in progress. Democracy gives you the opportunity to try if you failed and gives you a greater opportunity to correct the former mistakes,” the Catholic bishop stated.
“The American constitution was first written in mind to protect the white property,” Mr Kukah explained. “Democracy is for the good of the people, as it has helped to destroy feudal system of government all over the world.”
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Mr Kukah noted that Africans inherited a system “that’s not ours, but we can’t say it’s not relevant to us.”
“There are differences between democracy in Asia and that of Africa. What do you make of the tenets of democracy in Africa?
“The democratisation of development leads to the development of democracy. That is if you decide to equitably democratise development, and not take every institution, university, medical school whatever to your village and if all the roads are done,” Mr Kukah said.
He pointed out that “if we do not have a mechanism by which we are measuring our growth, our chase for a democratic society becomes an empty chase.”
Mr. Kukah asserted that democracy and its principles involve a continuous contestation of ideas, opportunities, and privileges. He emphasized that while the privileged strive to maintain their advantages, those who are marginalized advocate for a better life.
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku stated that adopting “true federalism” would address the nation’s challenges.
“The nature of our politics and the conduct of our politicians is another problem of our democracy. They have become instruments of capturing political power, Mr Anyaoku said. “There is the need to amend the 1999 Constitution to guarantee the management of diversity in Nigeria.”
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