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A Victory for Democracy in Nigeria
May 19, 2006
By AdministratorNigeria’s President Obasanjo bowed to popular will yesterday and endorsed the legislature’s decision to reject bills that would have made it possible for him to seek a third term. The actions by Nigeria’s Senate and House of Representatives, and the president’s wise acquiescence, put to rest fears that Obasanjo might join Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Chad’s Idriss Deby in discarding democracy in favor of a personal stranglehold on power. Praise for the move was nearly universal – both within and outside Nigeria. The New York Times had called the defeated amendment a “disaster in the making” while an editorial in Nigeria’s This Day thanked the National Assembly for a decision that “spared the agony of a creeping tyranny.”
Proponents of the third term had argued that the administration needed additional time to consolidate its reform program and that the battle for a successor would increase violent clashes in the run-up to the 2007 election. Both are valid concerns. A new administration may rollback some of the Obasanjo team’s reforms and the next year will be dangerous, as possible successors jockey for position and exploit the country’s deep regional, ethnic and religious divisions. But some of the administration’s achievements are irreversible, such as the debt relief deal and the recent banking consolidation, and efforts are underway to institutionalize other reforms. Perhaps the most important of these is the Fiscal Responsibility Bill currently before the National Assembly, the passage of which Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says will “change Nigeria.”
No civilian Nigerian president has ever peacefully ceded power and, of all the good Obasanjo has brought the country, the peaceful transfer of rule could be his most enduring legacy. Not only will such a transition help cement civilian democracy in Nigeria, it will serve as an example to others in the region. Uganda and Chad notwithstanding, many African countries are showing signs of democratic maturation. Similar efforts to change the constitution by Frederick Chiluba in Zambia and Bakili Muluzi in Malawi both failed, and Thabo Mbeki ruled out running for a third term in South Africa. In a public statement following the Senate’s rejection of the bill, President Obasanjo joined the international chorus praising the move, calling it a “victory for democracy.” Despite major challenges facing Nigeria over the next year, there is little doubt he is right.
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12 Responses to “A Victory for Democracy in Nigeria”
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May 23rd, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Like I had said earlier, for the anti-third term, it’s a Pyrrhic victory. Within 24-hours of the “Senate rejection”, we ALL saw the first huge cost-throwing the baby out with the bath water! It’s not transition for its own case. None of Obasanjo’s achievements has happened since the self-government’s days of the ’50s. And they are not, as they are now, immuned to irreversibility!! Nigeria’s endemic problems do not lend themselves to just “democracy orthodoxy”.
My hope is that this “my turn” mentality, does not deprive ALL of us of a stable and sustainable country, in the overall interest of the world. Mr. Standley, there are THREE sides to this(Nigeria’s)political coin. You have just superficially dealt with one side, drawing your ideas from two newspapers, that have their own prejudices. Please visit the country and conduct a dispassionate and an in-depth exercise on our socio-political situation. I await your report.
Of course, the soldiers did not allow of a civilian-to-civilian transition. For this, the contribution of the then Cold War must not be ignored!!!
Thanks, however, for your write-up.
May 25th, 2006 at 9:47 am
The point of term limits is precisely to limit options and flexibility. Oluwole Macarthy argues, quite reasonably, that imposing limits erodes the options of good leaders to continue ruling. That is their cost; their benefit is the creation of a state that stands apart from any individual. Term limits recognize that every leader—good and bad—will always be able to make an argument that continuation of his rule is necessary for stability, security, and so on. Keeping bad rulers from continuing is worth the cost of preventing the good ones from continuing. This was the genius of George Washington in refusing a third term in the 18th century, and his logic remains extremely relevant to the recent excesses of Bongo, Eyadema, Obiang, dos Santos, Mugabe, Biya, Moi, Mobutu, and many others, none of whose countries benefitted from the ’stability’ of their interminable strangleholds. The genius of term limits is precisely their refusal to account for individual circumstance. This is why the suggestion that Scott Standley should “visit the country” is entirely beside the point.
May 25th, 2006 at 11:38 am
Scott that is a great heading.Some of us have been indifferent to the third term agenda because in Nigeria the concept of recycling, recharging and reusing of leaders has contributed to our lack of making meaningful development towards achieving a status of greatest. We are against another Military leader taking over particulalrly Former President General Ibrahim Babangida that has promoted corruption and all negative tendencies that is not good for our Nation. We hope a new leader in the true sense of it emerges.
May 27th, 2006 at 9:35 am
the third term moves in nigeria is an anachrial movement in democractic community.which pointed to the seatinytism consolidation of african leader.
May 29th, 2006 at 6:41 am
I believe that the National Assembly of Nigeria had let the world to know that in Nigeria, people of Integrity and people of character abound.
The ability of these fellows to check-mate the ammendment document is worth the prize.
It is in fact,the name, Victory for Democracy as the President has spoken and is giving conditions on what his successors should possess, we look up for May 29. 2007.
May 30th, 2006 at 4:39 am
As we move towards 2007, there is a palpable fear in many quaters, regarding the politicians’ desperate bids to hold on to power or acquire it, particularly in a country where public positions are a sure way of corruptly enriching oneself. Obasanjo is not helping matters, himself being a product of fraudulent elections. Only God knows when Nigeria is going to have a liberal democracy, rather than the present electoral authoritarian regime.
Omilusi Mike
Justice, Development and Peace Commission
Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, Nigeria
August 10th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Today (if care is not taken), Nigeria stands at the treshold of yet another failed republic in her political annals. The ruling people democratic party has no doubt failed the nation. President Obasanjo has wasted the golden opportunity given to him by Nigerian. The electoral system as it is does not have the required potentials to hold a free and fair election come 2007. The electorate must learn to braze up to the challenges or ever remain enslaved to corrupt society.
Ikokide Francis Efe
Justice Development and Peace Commission
Ibadan Catholic Arch Diocese, Nigeria
August 31st, 2006 at 9:46 am
My concern is great for the forthcoming elections in nigeria.The recent trends and emerging political attitudes poses the charaterization of itimidation,violence,assasinations during elections hence the april elections looks bedeviled already.
Peter Ojo,
Director,
Aid Action For Development,
Ibadan ,Nigeria
October 19th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
What are all these I read everyday in nigeria dailies?When are we going to be blessed with leaders that really want to serve people and thier motherland like our great nationalists did?We are blessed naturally,economically,etc.yet we continue to spell doom for our country.The coming elections is an opportunity for me and you to decide want we want for the future.We should not be bought but let our conscience led us.God bless nigeria!!!
December 28th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
The on going face off between Obasanjo and Atiku has shown to us how corrupt our leaders are. Obasanjo should stop decieving Nigerians about his anti corruption crusade. He as guilty as Dariye et al.
He should among other things tell Nigerians how he was able to to acquire the largest share in Transcorp, Oando et al.
The face off has not only brought out the greediness but also the beast in both of them.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:39 am
So far this government has not shown penitence even as any altruistic compatriots have said these elections fall below acceptable standards. Yet the President Olusegun Obasanjo acknowledged that the vote had been flawed, but said “the magnitude does not make the results null and void” acknowledged that Nigeria democracy is still unborn.
Paschal Onumajuru
Canada
June 27th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
it is a pity that democracy in Africa has become a mirage and a ruse since the people’s concern is no longer the corner stone of our democratic system. our leaders are only enriching their coffer by the national wealth while the people suffer.thus, it will be right if one could say that democracy is now the conspiracy by the capitalists against the people because even at election, the vote of the people doesn’t count.