Democracy Day

Yesterday, Tuesday 29th May was Nigeria’s Democracy Day. The day earned its title in May 1999, the first time since 1979 when the country would witness a successful transition from military to civilian rule. For years, Nigerians had lived bereft of the gains of a democratic existence and had merely straggled along under a series of rather stringent military regimes. However, the military fortress officially began to crumble in June 1998 with General Sanni Abacha’s unexpected death – which event an American journalist summarily described as “a coup from heaven”. An interim government came on board and put together general elections which took place between December 1998 and February 1999. May 29 1999, General Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as the first civilian president to usher Nigeria into the era of her long-sought, new-found, and hard-won democracy. This legacy was expected to remain with us for generations to come, and so the day was symbolically, maybe somewhat prophetically (in my opinion), tagged ‘Democracy Day’.

Nigerians at the time were generally optimistic that the stage had finally been set for much-needed change to take place in various sectors of the economy. Surely, NEPA would now work better. This Baba, fresh from prison, would understand the plight of the teeming masses and work to make life better. Exactly eight years on, I personally am still unsure what democracy has done for me. But I am not writing to comment on the perceived failures and successes of the immediate past government; I rather seek to speculate on what the future might hold for our great nation.

This year’s Democracy Day, as if in defiance of my earlier prophecy that PHCN would withhold power in my area during NTA’s live broadcast of the swearing-in ceremony, the power came on just a short while before the programme was billed to start and lasted throughout its duration (It went off sometime afterward and hasn’t come on since then). I still don’t comprehend why I must be given electricity to watch the occasional national event but can’t count on it for my personal day-to-day activities. Or what do you think?

I was busy with other stuff so I missed the first part of the show which featured the obligatory parade and the outgoing President’s speech. Thankfully, however, I took my seat in front of the TV just in time for the incoming President’s address.

President Umar Musa Yar’adua started his inaugural speech to the nation by acknowledging that the process that threw him up as President-elect was indeed faulty. He was however quick to tip the scales back in his favour by adding that his administration will make total reform of the Nigerian electoral process top priority. I wondered to myself if that is justification enough for us to allow the bygones of last April’s elections really be bygones.

Some critics think the President’s acknowledgement is commendable, but others seem to think it might just be a gimmick to whitewash the obvious issues of electoral fraud at hand. Someone made the point that as far back as 1618, Alexander Pope warned leaders to guard against political corruption, for it is the root of all other forms of corruption. Let’s hope our new President can defy the cloud of suspicion and foul-play currently hanging over the nation’s political scene. Let’s hope against hope that he can successfully mould a respectable legacy out of the mire of political corruption from which he has emerged.

He went on to tell us about a good number of national problems he will steer his administration to solve, but it worries me that his proposals were anything but specific. For instance, I heard something like “power supply will improve dramatically under this administration”. How? Maybe it was not the time to prep us with details, but I don’t think extreme brevity to the point of being vague is the answer either. I wondered if I was alone in these thoughts until, listening to a commentary later on TV, an observer expressed concerns about the non-specificity of the new President’s manifesto. Well.

Another critic opined that the inaugural speech did not measure up to his expectation, and was certainly not what Nigeria needs at this time. For instance, he said, he fully expected the new President to comment on the sudden fuel price increase that took effect barely 48 hours before the swearing-in ceremony. Can it be that he is out of touch with what the masses are feeling? I say he’d better wake up and smell the coffee, or whatever it is we drink in Nigeria, because these are the issues at the end of the day that make the difference between a bad leader and a good one, or maybe even between a good leader and a great one.

All hope is not lost however. I am aware that Nigerians have mixed reactions to this ‘successful’ first transition from one civilian government to another. Still, like I said, hope remains. Some things the President mentioned in his speech are actually noteworthy. He optimistically welcomed all Nigerians to “The Age of Restoration”. The dictionary defines the word ‘restore’ as: to bring back to an original condition; to make new or as if new again; to impart renewed energy and strength. If, as a friend surmised, Nigeria’s future truly lies in her past, then maybe Mr. President is right in his assessment and restoration is really the summary of what we need.

He also promised to present himself a worthy servant leader and to rule with honesty, transparency, accountability and the fear of God. Let us not forget that he already set a precedent during his tenure as Katsina State governor by declaring his personal assets as separate from that of the state. Repeating that feat as the number one man in the Federation will certainly set him on the right foot as he undertakes this arduous journey through Aso Rock.

President Umar Musa Yar’adua rounded off his speech with this declaration: “The challenge is great, the goal is clear, and the time is now”. Inspiring. But of course the question on everyone’s mind is: will the President’s conduct in the next four (or eight) years match his assertions? Time will tell, my people. Time will tell.

God bless Nigeria.