Democracy in Africa: Have we got our priorities right?

In 1914 when Lord Luggard "amalgamated" the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria with its northern neighbor to form what we now know as Nigeria, the British administrators immediately discovered that the system of local government that they found was not so different from the government of the people by the people and for the people. They took advantage of this structure and this enabled them to rule Nigeria for forty-six years with the minimum number of administrative officers from White Hall. Today, under the cloak of independence, we have dismantled this workable system in favor of models of democracy that flourish in London, Paris and Washington. What we have forgotten is that for this "Western-style" democracy to function properly, you need a population that has certain properties. Among these are: a population that understands that those that seek public office are going to SERVE their people not be their MASTERS and a population that  understands the essence of "public service"-- that you do not seek for elective office because you want to become rich. Education and the deliberate development of a people with "love of country" ensure that this population is in place to make "Western-style" democracy work. When a member of Parliament in Kenya earns more than USD12,000 a month as tax-free salary, would it surprise anyone to see that losing an election is not an option? The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would make Benjamin Franklin smile in his grave. Except that while coming to Washington means that you have to find your own accommodation and means of transportation to Capitol Hill, being a parliamentarian in Nigeria means that you do not simply  earn a tax-free salary, you are supplied with accommodation and means of transportation among other perks. You are even paid a "constituency allowance" even though no one ascertains that you have a constituency office. If you are running for office, you never have to tell the people what you are going to do for them if and when you are elected. You are running for office because you have been "selected" by your party to run for the office. I am certain that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Is it any wonder that people are ready to die in order to be in elective office? What is worse is that because the so-called electorate is made up of uneducated and hence unemployable youths, it is fairly easy to woo them to go out on the streets not only to scare the opposition but also to cause havoc should "their candidate" lose the elections.
I love the government of the people by the people and for the people. But when I see that countries such as Singapore that initially concentrated on the development of the human capital before putting emphasis on "free, fair and credible" elections have become Africa's "donors", I wonder if we here in Africa have got our priorities right!

Leadership Or Lack Thereof

I was a student in the United Sates when the civil war broke out in 1967. Although I came from the then Midwest Region that was adversely affected by the war, as the President of the Nigerian Students' Union at the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana campus, I fought tirelessly to keep Nigeria one. And so did General Buhari. That makes his current behavior even more perplexing. Let us admit for purposes of argument that Buhari's supporters in the South-East and South-South were disenfranchised. Why would it take the killing of the brothers and sisters of those disenfranchised voters to demonstrate his anger and disappointment?. It would seem to me that these supporters have actually suffered doubly. And, I am sure that they are still waiting for comforting words from their leader. Unfortunately, that leader is more interested in bemoaning his own electoral loss! It is unfortunate that after witnessing what has happened to Cote d'Ivoire these past four months because of the intransigence of the loser of the elections, Buhari and his supporters from parts of northern Nigeria would subject Nigeria to the same ignominy. If there is a good lesson to be learned from these tragic happenings, it is that Nigerians have decided purposefully that a candidate from a party that has no "national character" should rule them. There are more registered voters in the United States who call themselves "Democrats" than those that call themselves Republicans. However  during the last elections, voters who call themselves Republicans were energized and came out to vote in their numbers. The result was a landslide victory for the Republican Party. Nobody argued that more Democrats were registered.  Buhari's argument is that since more Northerners registered to vote, there was no way he could obtain less votes than his opponent. Did it ever occur to him that the voters from the South-East and South-South could have been more energized than voters from other regions? If General Buhari really claims to love Nigeria (and he fought gallantly to keep it one), he owes it to Nigerians to come out and publicly renounce what his supporters are doing to the Nation. Claiming that the party did not organize the riots is irrelevant.

Sanity is missing

From not-so-far-away Accra, I have been following the 2011 elections in Nigeria. Yesterday, I commented on the successful efforts of President Jonathan to conduct free, fair and transparent elections. But my joys are being sadly diluted by what is happening in some of the Northern States. The question that keeps cropping up in my head is "If there was rigging in those Southern States where General Buhari lost, it means that the people in those areas had been disenfranchised. Would it not be these same people who should be in the streets today rioting and killing? Why is that that the people from Kanduna and Kano where General Buhari won big are the ones rioting for the rigging that was not done in their areas?". Obviously, what is happening today has deeper roots. Only a candidate from the north can adequately represent the interests of Northerners! The PDP can now see the folly of the zoning process they adopted. I believe that Nigerians came out to vote on the 16th of April not for the PDP but for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Nigerians chose the best man to run the affairs of the nation for the next four years. I have wondered why the press and even Prof. Jega, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) chair kept announcing the votes that were cast for the parties rather than for the individuals. For the so-called "Northern Elite" who desperately needed a "consensus" candidate from the North, the Nigerian electorate is saying "We are tired of being fooled". You have been disingenuous enough. 

Redemption

When he took office upon the death of his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan promised Nigerians and the world that he would give us transparent, free and fair elections in 2011. So far, Jonathan has redeemed himself. But more importantly, Nigerians have redeemed themselves. They have demonstrated their trust in the ballot box. For those losers who are crying over spilled milk, the contrast between the parliamentary elections and the presidential one is a demonstration of the level of sophistication of the Nigerian people. They did not come out on Saturday to vote for the PDP or any other party for that matter. They came out to vote for Jonathan Ebele Goodluck. .Those of us Nigerians in the Diaspora are keenly watching what President Jonathan will do with the mandate the Nigerian people have given him. Will this be the new dawn he has promised us?