₦airaland Forum

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has said Nigeria’s western-style democracy has failed to deliver good governance and national unity, insisting it is time for the country to rethink its governance structure and explore alternative systems.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Agbakoba, a lawyer and rights activist, said the current model, copied from Europe and America, has not worked for Nigeria in the last 25 years of democracy.

“This is not the Nigeria I dreamt of. I thought things would have been much better,” he said. “Something is fundamentally wrong with a process that is not delivering. We need to reflect and ask ourselves whether this Western model suits us.”

Agbakoba, 71, said countries like China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which, despite not being democratic in the Western sense, have made significant developmental strides. He questioned whether democracy, as practiced in Nigeria, is the only valid governance model.

“China is not democratic, but it works. They brought 900 million people out of poverty. In contrast, Nigeria continues to wallow in underdevelopment and inequality,” he said.

He said that Nigeria’s presidential system, modeled after the United States, has been poorly implemented, leading to marginalisation, exclusion, and disempowerment of the grassroots.

“The strongest problem in Nigeria is exclusion. Power is concentrated at the centre in Abuja while the 774 local governments are weak and almost nonexistent. That’s a disaster,” he stated.

Agbakoba noted the absence of a strong opposition in the country, saying many politicians are more interested in grabbing power than in nation-building.

“It’s a winner-takes-all system. Everybody wants to be in government. No one wants to be in the opposition. So, there is no accountability,” he said.

He said the recurring voter apathy in Nigeria is a sign that citizens have lost faith in the system. “People are not voting because they are not getting anything from the system. They are hungry, they are suffering. Politicians only show up every four years to make promises and disappear.”

He acknowledged some national conferences in the past, including the 2014 confab. Agbakoba noted that their reports have been ignored by successive governments.

“he problem is not the lack of ideas. The problem is that the kleptocrats who hijacked power do not want any reform. They like the system as it is,” he said.

He expressed his concern that the country is becoming increasingly unstable, and called for urgent national dialogue to rethink the structure of governance.

“We need a new model. We need a conversation. Nigeria is dangerously close to the edge, and we must be realistic about the gravity of the situation.”

He added: “Let’s face it—Nigeria is an extremely dangerous country right now. It is crying for leadership, and unless we act, things will only get worse.”

Agbakoba said he does not advocate for military rule but insisted that all options, including radical systemic change should be considered to save Nigeria from collapse.
“Do I have all the answers? No. But we have to be bold enough to ask the hard questions and look at alternatives. Nigeria is going down, and there are good people who can fix it if given the chance.”

Commentor:
So, military 🪖 should take over, abi?

Maxymilliano:
The country is seriously crying for purposeful leadership

Maxymilliano:
https://dailytrust.com/agbakoba-nigerias-democracy-has-failed-we-must-explore-new-governance-models/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKZcJNjbGNrAplwj2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeGdRh6ab_Qp3xBFwcl4XGiEMknQJeHUsNpB97CfBjBmDuxi0euyY0fFiTu1Q_aem_xmSn2GipH90yON10AGU9Vg

budaatum:
Perhaps he wants to be the king of Nigeria, or we should adopt China's one party rule.

Some people don't seem to understand that those countries have a system dictated by their history. If Nigeria adopts, say, the Yoruba way of choosing our leaders, one family will rule forever.

Fiscus105:
If one family rule forever, which would bring good governance for rest of the citizens

Maxymilliano:
https://dailytrust.com/agbakoba-nigerias-democracy-has-failed-we-must-explore-new-governance-models/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKZcJNjbGNrAplwj2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeGdRh6ab_Qp3xBFwcl4XGiEMknQJeHUsNpB97CfBjBmDuxi0euyY0fFiTu1Q_aem_xmSn2GipH90yON10AGU9Vg

Deltafirstson:
Although the pump price of fuel was N197 when President Bola Tinubu took over on May 29, 2023, the product now sells for N617 per litre – less than two months after.

In his inaugural address, Tinubu announced that subsidy was gone, fulfilling a promise that all leading presidential candidates made during the campaign.

However, pump price of fuel hit N537 per litre days after Tinubu ended subsidy.

On Tuesday, the price climbed further to N617, a development that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) attributed to “market forces”.

Nigerians have been lamenting the hardship occasioned by fuel price hike. Amid the lamentation, a video where Tinubu campaigned to slash the price of fuel went into circulation.

Checks by Daily Trust affirmed the authenticity of the video uploaded on the YouTube page of Channels Television.

At his campaign rally in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on January 25, 2023, Tinubu spoke on a number of issues, but those of fuel scarcity and naira redesign made the headlines.

However, Tinubu who spoke in Yoruba language, also assured the crowd that though people were saying petrol price would hit N200, it would be reviewed downward under him.

“The great Nigerian youths, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youths. This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. They are plotting, but they will fail. They said fuel price will increase and reach N200 per litre. Go and relax, we will bring it down,” he had said in the 7th minute of the video.

King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, a Fuji musician who performed at the rally, interrupted the president’s speech with chants as the crowd cheered.

On the campaign podium with the president were Vice-President Kashim Shettima; Pa Bisi Akande, interim National Chairman of the APC; Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President; Senator Gbenga Daniel; among other bigwigs of the ruling party.

Tinubu went further to say Nigerians would defy the acute fuel scarcity at the time and trek to cast their votes.

“The great Nigerian youths, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youths. This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. They are plotting, but they will fail. They said fuel price will increase and reach N200/N500 per litre. Go and relax, we will crash the prices,” he had said.

https://dailytrust.com/breaking-video-of-tinubu-campaigning-to-crash-fuel-

he had said in the 7th minute of the video.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JH8CC_JdUA

bodeyX:
RETURN THE COUNTRY BACK TO REGIONAL GOVERNMENT !!!!!!!!!!!

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO DO

tunjijones:
There can never be meaningful development with this form of governance

tunjijones:
There can never be meaningful development with this form of governance

JuanDeDios:
So which form would you recommend?

Maxymilliano:
“China is not democratic, but it works. They brought 900 million people out of poverty. In contrast, Nigeria continues to wallow in underdevelopment and inequality,” he said.