Democracy: SAN, Legal Practitioner task govt on better economy, rule of law

By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko, Ibadan 

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Kazeem Gbadamosi and an Ibadan based Legal Practitioner, Mr Olakunle Akintola, have said Nigeria's democracy remains fragile 27 years after civil rule due to poor governance and weak economy.

The Lawyers who assessed Nigeria’s democracy between 1999 and 2026, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday, that only good governance and strengthening of institutions could firmly consolidate democracy.

Gbadamosi underscored the need for a better economy, respect for rule of law and providing dividends of democracy to citizens.

He remarked that Nigerians cared less about political titles and more about economic welfare.

“What an average Nigerian needs is a good economy and making life better,” he said.

The SAN urged the government to rise up to its core responsibility of enhancing security and catering to the welfare of Nigerians and discourage migration of citizens abroad to seek opportunities.

“So we should make it easy for Nigerians to live in Nigeria and not to travel out; that’s the most important thing – education wise, health wise, and the rest,” he stated.

The SAN faulted the culture of praising governors for performing basic duties.

“At times I look at it when people talk of ‘oh, the governors have done well’. Is it their money that they are spending?

“People who are not doing anything, who have not been performing, you commend them for doing what they ought to do,” he said.

Citing Oyo State as an example, Gbadamosi, said that health infrastructure have not matched population growth since 1966.

“Most of them like Adeoyo Ring Road hospital have remained the same. Are we saying the population in Ibadan has been the same?” he asked.

On education, he said many schools are either abandoned or not habitable despite government claims of renovation.

Gbadamosi questioned the practice of building “prototype” schools in select areas while leaving others dilapidated.

“The proper thing is for them to renovate all necessary schools, not only in Oyo state but in the country at large. The money is there,” he said.

Gbadamosi cautioned that neglecting education would undermine infrastructure development.

“The children we are not educating will destroy all these facilities governments are building.

“Nigeria must urgently improve education, health and the economy to achieve the dividends of democracy.

“There are more people who are wretched walking the street now and begging than it used to be in the eighties and nineties; all these need to be checked.

“There is a need for us to change. There is a need for us to improve the economy. That is for us to have dividends of democracy,” he said.

Also, a former NBA Ibadan Secretary, Mr Olakunle Akintola, said the level of democratic consolidation in Nigeria was still low.

This, he said, was because the main ingredients of democratic consolidation were absent in the country.

According to him, for a nation to achieve a full democratic consolidation, the foremost ingredient to look for is “good governance”.

“If after the transition to democracy since 1999, we are yet to achieve good governance, then we have problems with our democracy.

“Nigeria’s democratic consolidation is in a fragile and premature state.

“For a country to have a full democratic consolidation, there must be strict adherence to Rule of law, good governance and public trust in the government,” Akintola said.

The legal practitioner emphasised that for democracy to be consolidated it required good governance by successive governments.

He said that it also demands upholding the democratic values of popular participation, respect for the rule of law, independence of electoral body and the conduct of free and fair elections.

“It requires independence of democratic institutions ( i. e Legislature and judiciary), improvement of citizens’ welfare, transparency and accountability in the conduct of state affairs and reducing corruption to the barest minimum.

“Once the government observes the aforementioned, then Nigeria’s democracy could be said to have been fully consolidated,” Akintola said. (NAN)