A former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima said Nigeria’s 20 years of democracy has more weaknesses than strength, saying many citizens ascribe this to the failure of leadership.
Shettima who was Guest Speaker at the 17th Edition of the Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja, yesterday, said the rule of law which is sacred in a democracy is and has been under serious threat. “From 1999 to date, only the administration of late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua took obedience to court pronouncements seriously.
It is true that other administrations did obey court orders but they selected those that served their interest,” he said. He said it is the rule of law that guarantees freedom from dictatorship, freedom of expression to hold leaders accountable, movement, religion, cultural and social and political association. “It is the rule of law that guarantees the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary. Democracy is a charade when there is no rule of law. Perhaps I could be right to say that the rule of law is to democracy what water is to human life,” he said. Shettima said Nigeria must address other weakness like poverty and insecurity and low participation of women in politics, adding that 20 years of Nigeria’s democracy had seen creation and spread of poverty and political exploitation of poverty. “As we are talking now, only six per cent in the National Assembly are women, only 17 per cent on the federal cabinet are women. We need to borrow a leaf from Rwanda where a substantial proportion of their parliamentarians are women,” he said.
- Despite the shortcomings, Shettima said there have been positive sides of leadership in the last 20 years of democracy in Nigeria. In these years, he said Nigeria has had four elected presidents whose leadership style largely defined our democracy. Going down memory lane, he praised the administration of late President Umar Yar’Adua for its adherence to rule of law and respect for court judgments.
He also described ex -President Goodluck Jonathan as a humble and honest leader who saved Nigeria’s democracy by admitting defeat. Senator Shettima said Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari also witnessed massive road and rail works and agriculture that set the country on a positive growth trajectory.
“I want to make a clarion call that we have to make this country work. The trajectory of global growth in Africa and Nigeria will make or mar that transition. Europe is in decline, China is aging, and America is in decline. We have to make this country work. If this country implodes, where do we go? Down the Atlantic ocean or Niger?” he asked.