Nigeria marks 20 years democracy

By our reporter
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Since 1960 after Nigeria got her independence from the British Colonial master, the country for the first time will be celebrating twenty years of uninterrupted democracy today as eminent Nigerians and foreign diplomats converge on the Eagles Square in Abuja  for the swearing-in and inauguration of President Mohammadu Buhari for another four years in office.

Buhari is the forth elected President since the beginning of the forth republic in 1999 after Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

President Mohammadu Buhari has also declared today a public holiday to mark the event.

Nigeria since independence has had three aborted republics: 1960-1966, 1979-1984 and 1991-1993.

However, there would be handover ceremonies galore in many states in the country apart from Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Bayelsa, Edo and Kogi states.

Church and mosque programmmes have equally been lined up as part of events to mark the inauguration of the president and the newly elected state governors.

A Professor of Political Science in Ekiti State University, Prof. Akinsola Agagu in his assessment described twenty years of uninterrupted democracy as a major landmark.

He noted that it showed that democracy is taking root in the country despite all the hues and cries and turbulence which he said the country has been able to overcome.

Beyond this, Agagu said the country has witnessed increase in political consciousness by the people, saying the country has recorded increase in political participation among various segments.

According to him, development is also penetrating every nock and cranny of the country, no matter the opinion of the elites and their supporters.

He said virtually all segments of the society are now getting the dividends of democracy unlike during the military when most projects were concentrated in few places.

He however regretted situations such as vote buying and other electoral malpractices in our democratic process, adding that they are problems that the country should win over in the future.

He therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari as he begins his second term journey to deliver good governance, peace and development by learning from his mistakes and give Nigeria hope.  He said he has done well particularly in the area of anti-graft crusade.

Also speaking the Secretary of Pan Yoruba Socio-political group, Afenifere, Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa lamented that dividends of democracy are yet to be delivered to Nigerians in the last 20 years.

He said: “In Nigeria today, everybody is a government to himself, you have to provide your own water, light, construct your own road, our saving grace is that there is no coup -de-tat in the country.

According to him, we are paying lip service to democracy in Nigeria.  Our graduates are roaming the streets, people cannot sleep with two eyes closed.  Dividends of democracy are not there yet.