In view of the 2017 Democracy Day celebration which marked the 18th year of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria - and the second-year anniversary of the present federation - our Onitsha correspondent, had a chat with Barr. John Chuka Odenigbo, President-General of Umudioka community and social critic. He takes a look at the performance of the present administration.

Let us take a look at the performance of the present administration as we mark the Democracy Day.

There is not much to celebrate except hunger, poverty, deprivation and abuse of human rights of Nigerians by a few privileged Nigerians. Even the looting of public funds which this government had boasted would be tackled is still going on in public institutions and nothing is being done about it.

We have had occasions where selected public looters have had their loot recovered and prosecuted.

Who is prosecuting whom? What you read on newspapers and other media is “African wonder’’. It is only those who have served in the previous government of President Goodluck Jonathan that are being prosecuted and humiliated.

Besides, the security agencies of this country have subjected themselves to emperors whereby judges and other highly placed people in the nation’s judiciary without any warrant. This is an assault on democracy because the judiciary is the fulcrum of every democracy. If you attack the judiciary, you attack democracy.

But the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has come out to defend the actions of DSS on the matter.

That the Attorney General of the Federation has boldly defended the action of the security agency that raided judges’ homes makes the matter even worse and confusing that he supported the raid and arrest of some judges by the DSS has proved a point that he is not even a democrat and not worthy to be a lawyer. Such a statement, to me, is an embarrassment to the judiciary and the civilized society.

He has evidently shown that he is not working for the promotion of constitutional democracy, but the dictates and wishes of one man who is out to destroy democracy by his actions. He has gradually but systematically betrayed the Nigerian judiciary.

Recently there was a coup scare as pronounced by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai and raid on the guest house of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

A situation whereby due process is not followed, but draconian method of an emperor is applied in running the country is a breach of the nation’s constitution. Such a situation could call for military intervention where laws of the land and actions of the leaders run contrary from the dictates of the constitution. It is an indirect way of inviting the military.

I’m not among those who believe in the saying that “the worst democratic government is better than the best military administration.” Anybody who ascribes to that belief must be beneficiary of the corrupt system of most civilian government in this country.

Every military incursion definitely has its reasons. The coup of January 15, 1966 was a coup against corruption and 10 percenters as pronounced by the leader of that coup, Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu. The question is this: have the various military and civilian administrations ended corruption in Nigeria? Rather, corruption has continued to be promoted geometrically by the actions of the country’s political leaders. Why is it that positive things that work in other countries never work in Nigeria, except corruption and bad leadership? In as much as I’m not ascribing to military intervention again in the political life of this country, the only way to get out of unnecessary military intervention in Nigeria is good governance. You don’t run a country by flagrant disobedience of the constitution on which platform you ascended the saddle of leadership.

If this government thinks it cannot respect the constitution, it had better call for an election for new leaders to emerge and take over the reins of power. What we are experiencing in Nigeria today is not leadership. The vision of the APC government is to create hardship, hunger and poverty in the land.

The present government under Mohammadu Buhari must have recorded some achievements in the last two years; not only hunger.

I have not seen where to credit the present APC-led federal government. They have performed poorly. We only hope the government will improve and accomplish the yearnings of the majority of Nigerians. Rather, what the federal government is doing since inception is to continuously address the needs and wants of a particular ethnic group. It is glaring that this government is lop-sided and favouring a particular ethnic group to the disadvantage of other ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Remember, APC is a child of circumstance. A line-up of several political parties whose only aim was to upset the then federal government led by Goodluck Jonathan. After winning election, they felt they had accomplished a feat and nothing more. No

Source
https://orientdailynews.com/only-good-governance-can-stop-coup-in-nigeria-activist/