Pyrex Journals

2035-6734

Pyrex Journal of Political Science and International Relations

Vol 1 (2) pp. 007-011 June, 2015

http://www.pyrexjournals.org/pjpsir
Copyright 2015 Pyrex Journals

Review Paper

Threats and Challenges to Nigeria Nascent Democracy

Odisu Terry Andrews
School of Marine Technology, Burutu, Delta State, Nigeria

Accepted 16th June, 2015

The paper looks at some of the problems negating the democratization efforts in Nigeria. Using the descriptive method
of data gathering, the paper identifies Corruption, Partisan umpire and security agencies, Electoral Violence and
Malpractices, Poverty, High cost of governance/Jumbo pay for public officers, etc as the threats and challenges facing the
nascent democracy. It is recommended that citizenship education be made a compulsory subject in all the schools as well
as strengthening the National Orientation Agency to change the avaricious attitude of Nigerians.
Key words: Corruption, Cross Carpeting, Oil Marketers, Threats, Nascent, Democracy.

INTRODUCTION
Across the globe, many countries want to be seen as being
democratic. It is a political arrangement that builds or
consolidates an egalitarian society with the full participation of
all the adult citizens in a free and fair periodic election, with at
least two political parties. This has been seamlessly achieved
in civilized climes like the USA, UK, France and even Ghana of
yesterday. There are several impediments to this noble
concept in Nigeria, hence many political analysts are of the
view that some countries in Africa are practicing civilian rule
which is far away from democracy. Poverty is one of them. A
hungry person can mortgage his or her future for a token
commonly referred to as stomach infrastructure to do what is
inimical to democracy. Some staff of the electoral umpire can
declare a loser of an election as a winner after receiving
gratification. Security agencies who are supposed to maintain
law and order during elections are now ominously partisan.
The jumbo pay for the executive and the legislature in Nigeria
has dwarfed the benefits of democracy. Poor justice delivery
due to compromise on the part of judges leads to the rule of
men rather than the rule of law. There can never be
democracy without the rule of law. Electoral violence in some
African States, because of the desire to have an undue share
of the national cake is a serious impediment to democracy.
Claude Ake (1996) wondered if the region was democratizing.
He noted that politicians are like mafias, waging a violent
struggle for a lucrative turf.

Corresponding Author: terryodisu@hotmail.com

The Problems Affecting Democracy in Nigeria:

Corruption
Corruption has become a culture in Nigeria such that it now
looks strange to condemn it. Many people believe that Nigeria
cannot survive without corruption. Some politicians are in office
just for the singular aim of stealing. How does one explain a
situation whereby elderly politicians are still amassing wealth
they dont need? Does it make sense to the masses to come
out to vote in an election that would throw up a cabal of
looters? Democracy is supposed to create strong institutions
which discourage wastages and profligacy. According to
Anyang Nyango (1998) democracy ensures a judicious use of
resources.
But the reverse is the case in Nigeria. How has the nation
been spending her resources since 1999? Why, in the midst of
infrastructural decay, should the nation acquire 11 jets for the
presidential fleet? Why should N1billion be budgeted annually
for the presidential kitchen? How come that an oil producing
nation like Nigeria with four refineries has spent over a trillion
Naira to subsidize the importation of fuel while countries not
blessed with oil have not spent up to that amount? Why should
billions of naira be spent for the renovation of a mere banquet
hall? A democratic regime is expected to deliver services to the
masses and abolish poverty, but this cannot be achieved if
corruption remains a way of life. It is sad that stealing is not
corruption in Nigeria, according to the PDP presidential
candidate. This is a serious threat to democracy. We cannot
easily forget the reason for military intervention in Nigeria.
During the campaign days, the APC presidential candidate,

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PYRX. J. Pol.Sci.Int.Rel

Muhammadu Buhari, said that if we didnt kill corruption,

corruption would kill Nigeria. This clearly underscores the
grave consequence of this malaise on the polity. The predatory
elite in the political scene has an unhealthy urge for primitive
accumulation of wealth and this has been responsible for the
dilapidated infrastructure, poverty and poor social services.
Partisan Security Agencies and Electoral Umpire
Security agencies are supposed to keep law and order and to
remain politically neutral during elections, but here in Nigeria
the opposite is the case. There are political officers and men in
the Nigerian Military, the Police Force and other security
agencies. In most cases, they work for the ruling party. Which
work do they do? They give cover to thugs when snatching
ballot boxes and other voting materials, they unlawfully arrest
and detain opposition party chieftains that can mobilize the
voters prior to the election, they intimidate the voters
sympathetic to the opposition and stuffing of ballot boxes. In an
interview with Channels TV, The APC national publicity
secretary, Lai Mohammed explained how he was arrested
along with other party chieftains in Ekiti State by hood-wearing
security men who could not be differentiated from armed
robbers. This is possible because the ruling party controls the
security agencies.
The ignoble role of the security agencies in Ekiti State
during the governorship election in 2014 and in Rivers and
Akwa Ibom States in 2015 general elections was absurdly
bizarre and grotesque. This would not be forgotten so soon. It
was a courageous and patriotic Captain Sagir Ikoli of the
Nigerian Army who revealed the Ekiti Rigging Saga where the
security agents allegedly played a dastardly role in the audio
tape he recorded secretly. If not for his courage this would
have been replicated in Osun governorship election (Sahara
Reporters, 2014). The Nigerian Army, through the director of
Public Relations denied being in possession of the certificates
of the APC Presidential candidate, Muhamadu Buhari, before
the elections in response to the affidavit deposed to by the
latter. This was aimed at disqualifying him from contesting the
election in favour of the then ruling PDP (Vanguard
Newspapers,January 21,2015) Is the Nigerian Army not
supposed to be politically neutral? Shamefully, after he won
the election, the Army announced that it was in possession of
the certificates.
Where were the security agents when political thugs were
burning houses and killing people in Rivers State during the
campaigns and on Election Day? Why did the presidency order
AIG Tunde Ogusanki out of Rivers State on governorship
election day? Because he wanted to do the right thing
expected from a professional police officer. He wanted to
maintain his integrity and he was seen as an OBOTE man
(enemy). The AIG refused to do the bidding of PDP and the
presidency ordered him out of the state (The Nation
Newspapers, April 11, 2015)
As soon as the former speaker of the House of
Representatives announced his defection to APC, the
policemen guarding him were promptly withdrawn by the then
Inspector General of Police. To the IG, he ceased to be the
speaker as a result of his defection. Is it the duty of the police
to determine who heads the parliament? Is it the duty of the
police to interprete the law? Chief Obafemi Awolowo had
complained bitterly about a similar issue in 1983 when the then
Police IG, Sunday Adewusi, delved into a very serious
constitutional matter by ordering the press to stop publishing
the election results (Joseph A.R, 1991) For democracy to

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germinate, the security agencies must at all times remain

politically neutral.
There is no doubt that some officials of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) are corrupt and
partisan. Some actually worked for some candidates. There
were bribery allegations against some Resident Electoral
Commissioners in almost all the elections. Some INEC officials
have been arrested in the past with thumb printed ballot
papers. Again, there were allegations of falsifying results after
collation. INEC chairman, Prof Atahiru Jega confirmed the
presence of corrupt officials who connived with politicians to
carry out rigging and other electoral malpractices in the
commission and stated that those indicted have been
dismissed from the commission (Vanguard Newspapers, June
27, 2013). Until all the partisan and corrupt officials of the
electoral umpire are removed from office, credible elections will
remain a wild goose chase in Nigeria
Poor Justice Delivery
The Nigerian Judiciary is confused and in disarray. It is only
the rich that get justice because they can afford it. While the
rich are above the law, the poor are below it. Most of the court
verdicts are conflicting. While a man who stole N23 billion from
police pension fund was given two years behind bars with the
option of a fine of N750,000 by Abuja High Court (Vanguard
Newspapers, Jan. 29, 2013), the man who stole a Governors
GSM phone would spend eight harrowing years in prison
without an option of a fine! With money one can obtain
frivolous injunctions to truncate or impede the wheel of justice,
referred to as black market injunctions by Edo state Governor
Oshiomhole. Some injunctions are perpetual, that is, they
cannot be vacated.
This is why some high profile criminals such as corrupt
state governors and some petroleum subsidy thieves are freely
enjoying their loots. But the poor who cannot afford the
services of senior advocates of Nigeria are languishing in jail
over minor offenses. The law is interpreted and applied in
Nigeria based on status differentials. One can now see the
level of debauchery into which the judiciary has sunk. This is
anathemic to the rule of law and a negation to democracy. As
observed by Professor Itse Sagay (1996), the rule of law is
democracy and without it there is no democracy.
The senior lawyers in Nigeria (SANs) are not helping
matters. I used to see them as role models, people with
working conscience. Due to the morbid thirst for wealth they
can appear in court to defend the undefendable. Why should a
senior advocate wear a wig and go to court to defend a
terrorist that kidnapped and raped married women and later
collected ransom before releasing them? Why should a senior
lawyer put on his robe to defend a man who embezzled funds
meant for pensioners who have served their fatherland? Is it
morally right to benefit from the proceeds of crime? Why are
the senior lawyers struggling to be chosen as defense lawyers
for indicted corrupt governors who had subjected their people
to unnecessary hardship? I, like many Nigerians, am
wondering if the judiciary is really interested in the fight against
corruption and terrorism.
High Cost of Governance: Jumbo Pay for Legislators and
Ministries
One of the cardinal objectives of any serious government is to
improve on the living standard of its citizens. This is achieved
when capital projects are executed and social amenities are
provided. In Nigeria since 1999, the federal and state

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governments have only improved on the living standard of very

few people-the legislators and other appointed public office
holders. The Federal Government has not shown interest in
the welfare of the common people. If a senator earns over N20
million a month as being reported, then the country is not
serious. Ministers are not left out. A former minister was
accused of wasting several millions of Naira on bullet proof
cars while another was accused of wasting over N10 billion on
flights.
As noted earlier, there were 11 jets in the Presidential Air
Fleet (PAF) even when British Prime Minister and US
President are flying commercial jets. The former president
visited Kenya on December 12, 2013 with seven jets during the
Independence Anniversary, conveying a large entourage that
stunned world leaders. The hotel bills and estacodes can best
be imagined (Punch Newspapers, Jan.7th 2014) Why should
this happen in a country that pays N18,000 as minimum wage?
Many Nigerians became disenchanted as the promise of
investing the funds freed up from partial subsidy removal for
their benefit was reneged upon by the government. The
prodigious and reckless spending of tax payers money is
unacceptable and it would be a hard sell to convince the
masses to make further sacrifices.
The former CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido, had said that
25% of the national budget was gulped by the national
assembly. Prof Itse Sagay condemned the Nigeria situation as
a breach of public trust, adding that the jumbo pay for the
legislators could endanger the nascent democracy. According
to him, a senator earns N240 million in salaries and allowances
while a member of the House of Representatives earns N204
million per annum. This is far above what obtains in the US
and UK (Vanguard Newspapers, July 27, 2010). A Nigerian
federal lawmaker even earns more than US president and UK
prime minister. This is madness in a country where hospitals,
described as mere consulting clinics over 30 years ago by
Sanni Abacha, are increasingly becoming abattoirs and other
critical infrastructures terribly dilapidated.
The lawmakers are too many for the economy. The
ministers in the past regime were also too many. We had two
ministers in one ministry and a large retinue of idle special
advisers and assistants, making the government unnecessarily
bloated. This was why recurrent expenditure had always been
higher than the capital expenditure. This cannot be sustained
as a result of the dwindling national resources occasioned by
drop in oil prices. We dont need a motley crowd in government
houses any longer if Nigerians are poised to establish a
democracy that guarantees the greatest happiness for the
greatest number of people, not a selected few. In a stratified
society of misery, poverty, agony, hunger, unemployment,
comatose social amenities, democracy cannot survive.
Poverty and Illiteracy/Electoral Violence
The challenges of poverty and illiteracy to Nigeria democracy
cannot be over-emphasized. 80% of the population is poor and
uneducated. The hungry and uninformed people are easily
bought over by irresponsible politicians with ill-gotten wealth.
This makes it difficult for good people to win election as we
play money politics. Again, thugs are easily recruited from
among the poor and uneducated to cause electoral violence.
Can a renegade politician recruit the son of a successful
businessman as a thug? There is no doubt that an educated
person can vote against his conscience because of little sum of
money. How many well-informed people show interest in
voting? This contributes to the nations poor leadership
recruitment process.

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Some educated young men who are in the labour market

can be easily recruited as thugs during elections. There were
many reported cases of electoral violence in Rivers State in the
last general elections. People were killed and several houses
burnt. So the issue of job creation is important here.
Democracy cannot flourish in a docile society. The electorate
must be capable of asking questions, taking their
representatives to task, criticizing anti-people policies of the
government, asking public officials how the resources are
being allocated, making demands on the government. By this,
the masses partake in the agenda setting and this is what
democracy is all about. When we have a vibrant and well
informed electorate, job opportunity, the problem of electoral
violence will disappear and democracy will become
everybodys bride.
Insecurity
Insecurity is unarguably the greatest threat to Nigeria nascent
democracy. In the southern part of Nigeria, there is the
menace of kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery. Several
lives have been lost in the process. In the northern part of the
country, there is the problem of a mindless sect, Boko Haram!
that has wasted several lives and destroyed property worth
billions of Naira. This group defies logic: what is it fighting for?
The members of the group are just killing, raping women and
girls and destroying houses. Over 200 secondary school girls
were kidnapped by the sect over a year now.
Insecurity is capable of shaking the corporate existence
of our nation. A serious challenge of the 5th republic is how to
completely annihilate the sect. Apart from the sect, there are
other ethnic militias in other parts of the country. The group in
the South-South Region, Movement for the Emancipation of
the Niger Delta (MEND), uses economic sabotage to draw
government attention to its demand for infrastructural
development of the region. The group in the South-East,
Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB), wants Independence for the region while its
counterpart in the South-West, Odua People Congress (OPC),
is mainly concerned with ethnic jingoism. The problem of
insecurity must be addressed holistically by the new
administration if the democracy must stay.
Poor Supply of Electricity and Petroleum Products
Electricity and fuel are very essential commodities in Nigeria
and as such should never have been left in the hands of those
that cannot make them available to the masses. Recently the
country was locked down for some days because there was no
power as well as fuel. Communication firms closed shops,
banks were working half day, Television houses were off the
air. This is not healthy for democracy as anything could have
happened. The privatization of the Power Sector has not
yielded dividends. It appears that the new investors, mostly
cronies of officials of the immediate past regime, are not ready
for business. They are kept afloat with outrageous estimated
bills and the unholy electricity fixed charges paid by Nigerians
for staying in darkness.
An important commodity such as fuel should not be left in
the hands of profiteers like the oil marketers. Why do we have
the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)? Why is it
that petroleum products are imported as if Nigeria never owned
refineries? Why should an oil producing nation be importing
fuel? A situation whereby oil marketers or an oil workers union
like NUPENG could hold the entire country to ransom is
capable of jeopardizing the nascent democracy.

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Cross Carpeting and Impeachment

Many politicians in Nigeria are greedy and as such they always
want to remain in power at all cost and coupled with the lack of
ideological orientation, they see nothing wrong in defecting to
other political parties that offer them the opportunity to stand
for election. They defect from their parties to the ruling party at
the centre. The recent wave of cross carpeting from the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) is a good example. Several politicians, used
to the spoils of office, defected from PDP to APC as soon as
the latter was declared as the winner of the presidential
election (Guardian Newspapers, April 10, 2015).
Democracy can only be strengthened if there is a vibrant
and credible opposition. But if members of an opposition party
defect to the ruling party in droves, the country will gravitate
towards a one-party state which is even worse than military
regime. Without opposition, there can never be good
governance because the ruling party can misbehave without
fear of being unseated in the next election. What is democracy
without good governance? The stability and good governance
being experienced in the US, UK, France and other countries
are as a result of vibrant, serious and purposeful opposition
parties with strong ideological orientation. Political parties in
Nigeria must imitate the political parties in the US and UK.
Another issue negating the Nigeria democracy is the
spate of childish impeachments. Impeachment is a legislative
tool inappropriately used in Nigeria. To impeach does not
mean to remove somebody from office. It means to level
charges against an office holder which he or she is allowed to
defend. If a deputy governor disagrees with his principal, the
next thing is threat of removal from office on spurious charges.
These are made easy with the conspiratorial assistance of the
largely ineffectual state lawmakers or are they lawbreakers?
Many deputy governors and speakers of houses of assembly
have been removed on spurious charges. The deputy governor
of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi, was removed from office
in 2014 because he ran poultry at the state house (Thisday
Newspapers, August 3, 2014). Is it an offense for a man to be
a farmer and a deputy governor the same time? A governor
who does not meet the unlawful demands of the greedy
legislators faces their wrath. After inaugurating the state
houses of assembly, what some governors do is to throw
largesse of about N100 million at each of the legislators at the
expense of the masses. With this, a governor can do anything
except turning a man to woman or vice versa (Odisu 2015).
Democracy cannot be entrenched in a polity where
impeachment is a household word.

Conclusion and Recommendation

An attempt has been made to identify the threats facing
Nigerian nascent democracy. They include corruption, high
cost of governance as a result of prodigious and reckless
spending as well as the jumbo salaries of legislators and other
public officials, insecurity, poverty and illiteracy, poor justice
delivery, partisan security agencies and electoral umpire, and
poor supply of power and fuel as well as cross carpeting and
impeachment. All these are capable of endangering the
democracy.
The first and second republics fell due to
corruption, electoral violence in the western region (the wild
wild west) and several other factors. So the challenge now is
how the new regime can surmount these problems as soon as
possible.
It is recommended that:

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Citizenship or civic education is made a compulsory

subject in all Nigerian schools and the National
Orientation Agency be strengthened to change the
avaricious attitude of Nigerians.
Any person found guilty of corruption, economic
sabotage, electoral violence and malpractice, and
terrorism be executed without death warrant.
Elected or appointed public office holders be taken to
mortuaries of general hospitals as part of orientation.
The gory sight of poorly kept corpses could
checkmate their unhealthy desire for material
acquisition.
The head of the electoral body be allowed to appoint
his commissioners and also be given the power to
discipline any of them that commits infractions. This
would enable him to pick trusted Nigerians that will
not bring shame to the electoral body.
Nigeria should adopt a unicameral legislature of only
the senate to be made up of 36 senators on a part
time basis. The 36 states should have six regional
assemblies to be made up of 36 members each on a
part time basis. The president can work with 12
ministers and 6 special advisers. The governors can
work with 10 commissioners and 4 special advisers.
This will reduce the high cost of governance.
Even though the government has no business in
business, essential services should not be in the
hands of greedy profiteers. So the federal government
must urgently review the privatization of the power
sector with a view to revoking the licenses of
investors that are not ready for business and
ascertaining the real owners of the distribution
companies. The fraudulent and ungodly electricity
fixed charge be abolished immediately. The NNPC be
overhauled to refine enough fuel for local
consumption and the fuel subsidy be abolished. This
will prevent a situation whereby the nation could be
held to ransom by a cabal of oil marketers/importers.
A single term of five years be adopted for the
president and the governors to ensure a level playing
field for all politicians.
The salaries and allowances of public office holders
be drastically reviewed downward for the benefit of
the masses from whom political power is derived.
Judges and security agents found guilty of corruption
and partisanship be dismissed without gratuity and be
prosecuted. The Ekiti State Rigging Saga be
investigated and the culprits dealt with to deter others.
The appointments of all the service chiefs be tenured
so that they wont play partisan politics to keep their
jobs.

References
1. Ake C. Is Africa Democratising? Centre for Advanced Social Scence, Lagos,
1996.
2. Anyang Nyango, Political Instability and the Prospects of Democracy in Africa.
Africa Development, Vol X111, No 1, 1998.
3. Captain Sagir Ikoli, How the Army was used to Rig Ekiti State Governorship
Election. An Interview with Sahara Reporters on 7th Feb, 2015.
4. Joseph A. R, Democracy and Prebendal Politics In Nigeria: The Rise and Fall
of the 2nd Republic, London, Cambridge University Press, 1991.
5. Itse Sagay, Nigeria: The Travails of Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ibadan,
Spectrum books, 1996.
6. Itse Sagay, Legislating for the Common Good : Contemporary Issues and
Perspectives, Vanguard Newspapers, July 27TH 2010.
7. Odisu Terry Andrews, Corruption and Insecurity in Nigeria: A Comparative

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Analysis of Civilian and Military Regimes, Basic Research Journal of

Social and Political Science, Vol 3, Issue 1. 2015
8. Lai Mohammed Interview with Channels TV, 2014.
9. 11 Jets in The Presidential Air Fleet & the Visit to Kenya with 7 Jets, Punch
Newspapers, January 7th 2014
10. Corrupt and partisan staff of INEC, Vanguard Newspapers, June 27th 2013.
11. Verdict for theft of N23 billion Police Pension Fund, Vanguard Newspapers,

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January 29, 2013

12. Impeachment of Enugu State Deputy Governor, Thisday Newspapers,
August 3, 2014
13. Defection to APC after winning Presidential election, Guardian Newspapers,
April 10, 2015
14. Missing Buhari Certificates, Vanguard Newspapers,January 21,2015

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