…As citizens say indices of civil rule lacking
When asked why he went for Ghanaian citizenship among other African countries, Stevie Wonder, a prominent global celebrity, who was granted Ghanaian citizenship in 2024, cited the country’s infrastructural development, peace and, especially political stability as reasons.
The above also top among the reasons a group of notable figures in the African diasporan community are increasingly seeking Ghanaian citizenship, as well as Botswana and Rwanda, which are considered as the three most stable and progressive democracies in Africa today.
Nigeria’s democracy since 1999 is 26 years old, but the country has remained a toddler on many fronts. Compared with some other countries in West Africa, Nigeria is not measuring up in the areas of rule of law, healthcare, education, employment, and micro and macro-economic indices.
As Nigeria prepares to commemorate Democracy Day on June 12, a date set aside to honour the struggle for democratic governance, the mood across the country is far from celebratory.
While the nation has maintained 26 years of uninterrupted civilian rule since 1999, many Nigerians say the ideals of democracy, justice, equity, good governance, and accountability, remain elusive. Amid economic hardship, rampant corruption, insecurity, and failing public services, citizens are asking whether democracy, as it is practised today, is truly working for them.
As global governance rankings place countries like Ghana, Senegal, and Botswana well ahead, Nigerians are asking a painful question: “Is this really democracy?”
Read also: How devolution of power will consolidate Nigeria democracy – Adamolekun
Different shades of democracy
No matter the term of office, the model adopted and how the elective process goes, observers argue that the most important thing under a democratic government is to deliver good governance, justice and development to the people.
They noted that Botswana’s democracy is 58 years old, Ghana’s multi-party democracy is 33 years old, while Rwanda has also risen from the ashes of genocide since 1994 to become a shining light of good governance in Africa, despite criticism of the model adopted by Paul Kegame since 1994.
“Americans will tell us that their model of democracy is the best, but Rwanda’s democracy that is being criticised is yielding impressive results to the people, you can’t say UAE’s model is democracy, but it is an epitome of good governance. So, Nigeria’s democracy model has not favoured the people and the country so far. It seems we are just three years old in democracy and not 26 years as of today,” Chijoke Umelahi, a lawyer and former Abia lawmaker, decried.
For Samuel Onikoyi, an academic, Nigeria’s democracy has been gaining and losing momentum since 26 years due to the selfish interests of the political class.
“In the 26 years of our democracy, we have seen governments come and go; some consolidate on gains made in democracy, while others destroy them.
South Africa’s democracy is 31 years old this year, amid ups and downs, but still more progressive than Nigeria’s. Even Rwanda is a better model, though people accuse Paul Kegame of being autocratic and manipulating the Constitution in his favor. What matters for me is good governance and development, which are evident in Rwanda today. That is democracy for me,” he said.
Stuck in reverse
According to the 2025 Governance Rating by World Economics, Nigeria ranks D, indicating poor performance, across four key indicators: governance, corruption perception, rule of law, and press freedom. In contrast, countries like Mauritius, Namibia, Senegal, Botswana, and Ghana are scoring in the A and B categories, reflecting better democratic health and institutional maturity.
In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International, Nigeria tied for the 140th position out of 180 countries, scoring a dismal 26 points, sharing ranks with countries like Iraq and Cameroon. This comes at a time when over 129 million Nigerians live below the national poverty line, up from 104 million in 2023, according to a joint report by the World Bank and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
“Look at Ghana, they held a peaceful election last year. Senegal too. Meanwhile, in my local government, we can’t even vote without thugs showing up. This is not democracy, its survival,” laments Adewale Lekan, a university graduate in Lagos.
Read also: Democracy: Tinubu playing god as his worshippers applaud
A country rich, yet poor
Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria is knee-deep in economic quicksand. Youth unemployment is at an all-time high, inflation remains in double digits, and food insecurity is forcing millions to skip meals. In 2024, Nigeria was ranked 130th out of 141 countries in infrastructure quality by the World Economic Forum.
“There’s no electricity, no jobs, and even water is a luxury. My degree is collecting dust while politicians drive in convoys,” Lekan, earlier quoted, lamented.
The streets are filled with voices like Lekan, educated, eager, and disillusioned.
Meanwhile, a select political class and their collaborators in government live large. Convoys of luxury cars, multi-billion-naira budget allocations for furniture and foreign trips, and stories of padded contracts fill the media space.
“It is painful that the same politicians asking us to tighten our belts are living in opulence,” said the university graduate. “If this is democracy, it is democracy for the rich.”
Fragile institutions, frustrated people
Analysts say Nigeria’s democratic failure is rooted in weak institutions and a lack of accountability. The judiciary is often accused of being compromised, elections are marred by irregularities, and the legislature is frequently criticised for rubber-stamping executive proposals.
At the local government level, the tier closest to the people, elections are either non-existent or rigged, and officials are installed rather than elected.
“Other African countries are showing what democracy should look like. Meanwhile, we are still arguing over ballot snatching and vote buying,” Samuel Adejobi, a Lagos-based teacher, said.
The human cost
The impact of Nigeria’s faltering democracy is not just economic, it is deeply human. Millions are displaced due to insecurity in the North-East, North-West, and parts of the Middle Belt. Farmers can no longer access their lands due to bandit attacks. Students study in collapsed classrooms. Nigeria is the world’s worst place for women to give birth, a BBC report recently stated.
In the face of all these, Nigerians are not asking for miracles. They are asking for the basics.
While Nigeria technically ticks the boxes of democratic governance, periodic elections, multiple parties, a constitution, many argue that form has triumphed over substance.
“We have democracy without democrats,” said Adejobi. “The structures are there, but the soul is missing.”
If things continue the same way, many fear that the country may run even 50 years of uninterrupted democracy with little to show for it.
“We have to take back power, ensure that democrats run our democracy and not the moneybags in power today.
It is going to be a difficult task, but achievable if we all reject offers from vote buyers, stomach infrastructure and recall underperforming elected and political appointees,” Umelahi suggested.
But Onikoyi thinks that Nigeria’s democracy needs strong institutions that will checkmate the excess of office holders and tough electorates that will hold elected persons and the government accountable for every single action while in power.
