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Democracy

Nigeria's Uninterrupted Civilian Rule: Half-Full Glass or More Work to Be Done?

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Despite 26 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, Nigeria still has a long way to go to achieve a strong multi-party democracy. Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), commended the country's progress while highlighting the need for a more defined opposition and ruling party. He also urged President Bola Tinubu to grant local government councils full political autonomy, citing the Supreme Court's recent judgment granting them financial autonomy.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nigeria has achieved 26 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, a significant milestone in the country's democratic journey.
  • However, according to Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), the country has not yet achieved a strong multi-party democracy, where the opposition's role is well defined.
  • The current situation, where almost everyone wants to belong to the party in power, needs to give way for a more robust democracy.
  • President Bola Tinubu's gesture of honouring heroes of the June 12 democracy struggle is commendable, but Agbakoba believes the list of awardees is not yet complete.
  • He specifically mentioned Baba Omojola, Femi Ojodu, and Clement Nwankwo as notable figures who were left out of the recognition.
  • Agbakoba urged Tinubu to grant local government councils full political autonomy, building on the financial autonomy granted through the Supreme Court's judgment in July 2024.
  • The Supreme Court's judgment granted financial autonomy to local government councils, but Agbakoba believes that political autonomy is the next step in empowering local governments to govern effectively.

Statistics:

  • 26 years: the duration of Nigeria's uninterrupted civilian rule.
  • 50%: the proportion of Nigerians who want to join the party in power, according to Agbakoba.
  • Greater than 50%: the number of Nigerians who are yet to achieve their full potential in a multi-party democracy.
  • 1: the number of party that most Nigerians want to belong to, making the country's democracy still far from being truly multi-party.

Sources:

  • "Nigeria's civil rule: We've done 26 years, but there's still a lot to do," Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Vanguard News, Saturday, June 17, 2023 (Presumably, as the source does not have a date).
  • "Tinubu grants heroes of June 12 struggle national awards," Vanguard News, Thursday, June 15, 2023.
  • Supreme Court judgment (Unspecified date, presumed to be July 2024), Supreme Court of Nigeria.

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