Editorial Opinion – Eye Reporters Media Ltd
When Nigeria gained independence in 1960, we adopted the parliamentary system, a governance model that emphasized collective leadership, cabinet accountability, and regional autonomy. It reflected our diversity and offered a structure more aligned with African traditions of inclusive, communal decision-making. Though cut short by political instability and military interventions, it laid a foundation that respected negotiation and shared authority.
That democratic experiment was abandoned in 1979 when Nigeria transitioned to a presidential system, modeled after the United States. It was meant to strengthen executive clarity and prevent the deadlocks of parliamentary politics. Instead, it delivered over-centralization, political exclusion, and a winner-takes-all culture that continues to poison our national life.
In 1999, Nigeria began what is now the Fourth Republic, ushered in by the transition from military to civilian rule under General Abdulsalami Abubakar. On May 29 of that year, President Olusegun Obasanjo took office, marking the end of decades of military rule. For years, May 29 was celebrated as Democracy Day.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari shifted the observance to June 12, a symbolic correction of history, recognizing the sacrifice of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, the winner of the 1993 presidential election annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida. Abiola paid the ultimate price for that stolen mandate, dying in detention while defending the people’s will. Today, June 12, 2025, is more than a date, it is a moment to remember the martyrs of democracy, led by Chief MKO Abiola, and to ask ourselves: have we honoured their sacrifice?
After 26 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, Nigeria should be celebrating the deepening of democratic values. Instead, we find ourselves in an era where democracy has been hollowed out by elite capture. Elections are often violent, judicially compromised, and disconnected from the will of the people. “Win first, let them go to court” has become the political mantra, a telling reflection of public distrust in both elections and the judiciary.
Even more damning is the system’s failure to protect lives. Under this so-called democracy, insurgencies have flourished, from Boko Haram to banditry, kidnappings, and communal violence. Entire regions are now lawless, while insecurity fuels a war economy that enriches the elite and impoverishes the people. Security votes rise, defence budgets balloon, yet the citizens sleep with one eye open.
Throughout it all, our foreign partners urge Nigeria to uphold democratic norms, while continuing to support regimes that fail to meet those standards through arms sales, diplomatic indulgence, and economic expedience. They defend democracy in name, but enable autocracy in practice.
So, what is the path forward?
We at Eye Reporters Media Ltd strongly advocate for a return to our original parliamentary system, but not as a mere replication of British practice. Instead, we propose a blended model, a return to parliamentary governance infused with Afro-Democracy: a hybrid political order rooted in our indigenous values and traditions, but adapted for the modern state. Before colonialism, our communities practiced participatory, consultative governance, councils of elders, community assemblies, rotational leadership, and justice through deliberation. These systems were local, accountable, and morally grounded.
Afro-Democracy does not reject modernity. It calls for a fusion, a reimagined system that incorporates grassroots participation, decentralization of power, and consensus-driven leadership. It proposes a return to values where public service is a duty, not a business venture.
If democracy must endure in Nigeria, it must evolve. We can no longer afford imitation without introspection. The next chapter must be authored by Nigerians, in our voice, for our people.
This is not a call to discard democracy, but a demand that we redefine and localize it. We must move from imitation to innovation, from imported systems to homegrown solutions. Nigeria’s current presidential model has shown its limits. What we need now is a democratic rebirth, one that fits our context, reflects our history, and restores the power of the people.
As we reflect on the significance of June 12, let us remember not just those who died for democracy, but also the dream they died for. A Nigeria where governance is just, inclusive, and rooted in the will of the people. A democracy that is ours in substance, not just in ceremony.
The next 26 years must not repeat the failures of the last. The time to rethink, reframe, and rebuild is now.
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