"The euphoria of a new beginning that brought in OBJ in 1999 has turned into an illusion. The style, symbolism and processes of our constitution and its implementation are so cumbersome, so tedious, so useless and so impractical. It makes everyday governance impossible. Ladies and gentlemen, ten worthless years on, Nigeria is still under the grip of malignant, manipulating marauders” Taju Tijani

One of the beauties of the internet is that, it has given Nigerians a voice against our oppressors. Irrespective of how the articles are framed or where the articles are posted, there is a central theme, too essential to ignore.

This week’s write-up was inspired a remarkable piece posted at another popular Nigerian bloging-site. The writer, in a succinct writing style considered our democracy as dead, a far cry from the model the inventors promoted, and an apparition from the ideologies that made this style of governance a success for years. So how come the democracy-experiment failed in Nigeria? The answer lies in the fact that most often; revolutions (or in our case agitations) only change one despot for another dictator.

If the assertion that our democracy is really dead is accepted, then the question would be who killed our democracy? According to Tijani, the best adjectives to describe them would be “malignant and manipulating marauders”. If we are to really put a face to these murderers of our nascent democracy, one name would always re-occur.

That name is an embodiment of many names; a collection of selfish people; tyrants masquerading as patriots. For the past 10 years PDP has shown they have nothing to offer except tears and poverty as dividends of democracy. A flagrant disrespect for electoral processes, subversion of our justice system, the proliferation of the charlatans in the legislature and the un-bridled use of power to beat the opposition to submission shows how counter-productive the PDP can be. Mahmud, the chairman of PDP in Zamfara gave a general attitude of the party when he was quoted in the dailies as saying; “this generation would not witness a free and fair election”.

Nairalanders, who killed our democracy?

international bad boi(IBB)

Democracy died when it stopped revolving around people.   The pillars of democracy  are

1. A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.

2.  The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life.

3.  Protection of the human rights of all citizens.

4.  A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.

Unfortunately it not the case in the majority of Nigera.

I understand you have to live to die. Democracy in Nigeria is yet unborn and therefore impossible to have bin killed except the Military regimes committed accelerated abortions. Now, that's the vital bit.

The abortion that the first military govt had disrupted the system systematically with continuous carelessness in the form of ethnic rivalry, religious conflict, indisciplline of out people= ineffective or in fact failed institutions, and baba won (their father) CORRUPTION.

Back to yur ?, we have never experienced anything close to a democracy in 9ja,  prerequisites being freedom of speech which ultimately includes the media ability to unbiased and deadly professional, respect for human and civil rights, rule of law abbl (e.t.c or ati be be lo)

"Just as the regimen of the healthy is not suited to the sick, one must not try
to govern a corrupt people by the same Laws as those that suit a good people.
Nothing proves these maxims better than the long life of the Republic of Venice, which still
retains a simulacrum of existence, solely because its laws are suited only to wicked men."
Rousseau (1997/1755, p. 135).

NOT SURE WE EVER HAD ONE

IF I AM WRONG PLEASE TELL ME WHEN WE DID

Nigeria has never had democracy, what we had and have could be called "Nigerian-crazy"
Democracy means, there is a standard set for who can contest and it is and will always be open.
Means the young and the old cld be heard easy and with respect.
So all we have is Demon-crazy.

George, just lookd thru the thread, some joke! Imagine, These pp should be ashamed of themselves, and their families should hide their faces in shame, but, unfortunately, they are celebrated and treated like kings and queens by d 9ja media and ignorant Nigerians.

pp yu shud hiss n spit at wheneva their names are called or when yu cum across dem on the streets.

Ruuuuubbish.

Initially, the joy of the birth of a new era made us forget that what we had was meant to fail. Disturbing was the fact that then we had decided that whatever was offered was better than the military.

The culprits are still very much around they are plotting and strategising for 2011. OBJ is heading them as their chairman

@mikeansy Nigeria did free and fair Election in 1993 during IBB must go.

Ist republic politicians.

some are still active today

Like I have always maintained, you cannot kill something that has never existed! as simple as that. What OBj gave in 1999 was supposed to [i]develop [/i]into a democracy, but. . .

Mai Suya:

Like I have always maintained, you cannot kill something that has never existed! as simple as that. What OBj gave in 1999 was supposed to [i]develop [/i]into a democracy, but. . . 

i must say this is a good point. I'm ashamed to admit it, but u might be right. But what do i know? Democracy in Nigeria, if ever, was well before my time.

I have to agree with RICHIE BOI that IBB killed our democracy or i think the best statement is "IBB killed the chance to have a normal democracy" Nigeria did free and fair Election in 1993 and i think that could have been a good start.  The early returns of that election showed Abiola to be the winner, with support cutting across religious and tribal lines in a way which was unprecedented in Nigeria. That's the best chance we ever had to plant our democracy.

MrCrackles:

Topic

If i knew who killed our democracy, i would have bombed the person into extinction!

rotflmao!

Animal and HUman killer abi?

rotflmao

Democracy can never work both in nigeria and africa at large. . .
For democracy to function properly,the machinery must be set in place and functioning.
The three arms of government the executive,legislature and judiciary are all in a big mess. . .in a proper democratic setting,they are meant to checkmate one another and make sure power is not too concentrated on one group.
I personally think the russian form of 'democracy' is what nigeria needs. . .That is a mixture of both democracy and autocratic principles.
For this to work,we need a focused leader,not interested in how to get reach but genuinely working to develop this country and change lives. Not afraid to tackle corruption coz there'll be no one to undermine him.
Since we have no such leader in this country,it therefore means either way,we're screwed!

Russian kind of democracy?

tymoti:

Russian kind of democracy?

Please help ask am - maybe he meant executing journalists

^^^^ slowpoke,tell me one journalist executed by the russian government.

without a doubt-OBJ !

How?

1. He wasted the 1st term - 1999-2003

2. Spent most of the 2nd term - 2004=2007,trying to get back at Atiku & anybody perceived to be sympathetic to Atiku or anybody who didn't see eye to eye with him

3. He added salt to the 8 years of ignominy by handing over to probably the most incapacitated president in the history of Nigeria.

Really sad,he really had the opportunity of doing a 'Mandela' on Nigeria - i.e prison to power,plenty of experience etc. . . but he screwed it all up.

we never had one,

lol]

nigeria and democrazy? stop fooling yourselves, the second nigeria gained independence democrazy died, even jesus christ cannot resurrect the system again

was democracy ever alive in nigeria?

From all the pictures posted by my fellow nairalanders, it denotes that DEMOCRACY has not been born in our beloved country NIGERIA because all these faces does not look like faces of a true DEMOCRAT

All the same we can make it happen ( give birth to democracy) because the future is ours. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tùdor:

^^^^ slowpoke,tell me one journalist executed by the russian government.

21 journalists have been killed since Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power in March 2000. In the great majority of cases, no one has been convicted and sentenced for the murders.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia

It looks like it is a general consensus that we never had a democracy. But there was hope if when the military gave us the opportunity 10 years ago. The selfishness of our elected officers destoryed that opportunity. If we should adopt the russian kind of politics, what would be left for the common man who has never had a say in any thing that concerns this nation?

russia has no democracy so dont go there. If at all, theirs is a very bad example to follow.

I even doubt if Democracy will work in Nigeria because in reality Nigeria is a failed state.

My fellow nigerians, if truly democracy is the government of the people,by the people and for the people then wat we've being aving so far has been the opposite of DEMOCRACY. our leaders av all refused to be of the people, but on the people, they an't by the people anymore, but by the GODFATHERS and also not for the people but for their selfish interest.  Even the young generation on which we place our hope av been brougth-up with corrupt orientation by ready-made corrupt leaders.

GOD![b][/b] i exalt your name for ur kindness, if i were in HIS Shoe i wld av brougth the life of all those paddling this nation into destruction  to an end phew! and i will make sure that it continues until the nation becomes safer for the innocents.  I'm sure he has better plans for us except that ao soon is wat i don't know but before we must continue to fight for our RIGHT may be that will reduce the rate of impossition.

WISHING U ALL A HOPEFUL DAY in advance (Hoping to eventualy see the DEMOCRACY we 've long being celebrating).

FBS:

russia has no democracy so dont go there. If at all, theirs is a very bad example to follow.

I even doubt if Democracy will work in Nigeria because[b] in reality Nigeria is a failed state.

[/b]