Opinion
Where Are The Dividends Of Democracy?
Universally, democracy is defined as government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is a representative, participatory and consultative government. It is about due process, rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights. It is about transparency, accountability and good governance.
Democracy recognizes and respects human dignity and freedom, such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom of movement and freedom of association. It is about service and not leadership. It is about welfare and well being of the people. It is about provision of social amenities such as pipe borne water, electricity supply, health care, education, housing, employment, food, transportation, good roads, job creation, security, and so on. All these are the fruits of democracy, commonly known as the dividends of democracy.
Dividends of democracy is also enjoyed when the masses who democracy assign the huge responsibility of electing their representatives in the three tiers of government are allowed to exercise their responsibility and their choice respected by the so called Godfathers and money bags.
But it is unfortunate that after 10 years of experimenting and experiencing democracy in Nigeria, we are yet to see the much needed dividends of democracy. We have no portable water. We still make do with untreated bore hole water.
Electricity is in short supply in the country. Steady supply of electricity would have been a source of joy to small scale entrepreneurs whose businesses such as tailoring, barbing, dry cleaning, hair dressing, selling of minerals and pure water depend on it. But it is painful that electricity supply has not improved significantly for the past 10 years.
Nigeria has not fared better in the area of education. Some years ago, Nigerian slogan was education for all by the year 2000. Now year 2000 has come and gone, education for all is not yet in sight. We still have children who cannot find their ways to school for one reason or the other. School fees at all levels of education are expensive and in some cases unaffordable. And what is more, teachers and lecturers are not receiving better treatment from government in terms of salaries and working conditions. Indeed, our educational system is in mess.
Our health care system is in comatose. Many hospitals have no drugs and modern equipments. There are no well qualified and experience medical personnel. Despite the efforts of NAFDAC, fake drugs from India and other countries still find their way into the country. As a result of these, many Nigerians travel abroad for medical attention.
Despite abundant human resources, vast lands and billions of naira generated from oil, Nigerian leaders have refused to invest in agriculture. This has increased the prices of food stuffs and general cost of living in Nigeria, with thousand of youths roaming about the streets for lack of something to engage themselves in.
In fact unemployment in the country has become the biggest problem of Nigerian youths and a challenge to the federal government. Millions of Nigerian youths who graduated from various universities and other higher institutions every year are without jobs. Inability to secure jobs has lured many into various crimes.
It is the same sad story in the area of transportation. Rail transportation used to be cheap in those days. It is the cheapest means of transportation for the common man. But today, rail transport is completely dead. Billions of naira earmarked for its rehabilitation with Chinese firm appears to have vanished. This situation is exacerbated by the deplorable condition of roads in Nigeria, particularly those in the eastern part of the country. Anyone who passes through Ore road would weep for Nigerians who pass through this road on daily basis.
The question is: What happened to the trillion of naira that Olusegun Obasanjo’s government budgeted for this sector? Down the drain as usual?
So, where are the dividends of democracy? Unfortunately what we have as dividends of democracy in Nigeria are political thuggrey, violence, militancy in the Niger Delta, police harassment, and extortion, election rigging, embezzlement of public funds, etc.
It is against this backdrop that I count on President Goodluck Jonathan to pursue his seven point agenda with much vigour so that by the time he would be leaving office, he would leave enduring legacies.
As for Rivers State, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is doing an appreciable and commendable work especially in the areas of roads network, education, health care, transportation, environmental sanitation, urban renewal and beautification. We only hope he would not be derailed by political consideration.
Ogbuehi, a journalist and human rights activist, wrote in from Port Harcourt.
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