So a military coup has been announced in neighboring Niger and there are some Nigerians secretly wishing for a military coup in Nigeria because of the present problems facing the country but they must realise that the problem is not about democracy, whether or not it is a sound system of government. Instead, it is the so-called practitioners of democracy who use it as a mask for state capture that is the problem.
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.”
Lord Acton’s famous quote above typifies the actual problem associated with governmental power and its exercise by men and women. The use, management and control of political power over military force, financial resources and determination of peoples’ freedoms will always lead to abuse, corruption and armed conflicts, ultimately, when exercised by an individual or a group of individuals without checks. It is this understanding, which is considered a problem, that made many countries of the world, especially in the Western Hemisphere, adopt political systems that limit the powers and influence of government and those who operate it. The idea is to protect and secure liberty, which is the essence of living life to its full potential. Therefore the story of democracy transformed from being a government of the majority (which is a dictatorship in itself) to that which operates the principles of checks and balances to avoid the concentration of power in individuals or small groups.
But when a society has become dysfunctional because of long-standing poor leadership, in the case of Nigeria, where its survival and stability are threatened by an intractable insecurity situation and the uncertainties of economic hardships, the prevalent mob psychology in such a situation is often that of longing for a messianic rule. Yet nothing can be more futile!
Permit me, please, at this point, to write in the first person only for the sake of adducing some credence. So I have lived through many military coups, counter-coups and phantom coups in this Nigeria, at least five of them in my short life span of 50 years. Given the processes we adopted to achieve independence as a people and country, those coups were needless and could have been avoided. I have studied Nigerian history with zest and a focus on the remote causes of the Nigerian Civil War. Interestingly, at 14, I read Guy Anorld’s Modern Nigeria from cover to cover, giving me an insight into how the country fared after the civil war. History has been my fancy since then. Thanks to my mother and the exciting educational environment the ever-great Prof. Ambrose Alli provided us in then Bendel State.
Later in life, I obtained a post-graduate degree in the Law of Armed Conflict. After all of these experiential sojourns, my conclusion is that military rule has been a curse to Nigeria and should never again be contemplated by any Nigerian who means well for present and future generations of the people who currently make up the territory that is today referred to as Nigeria.
People can adopt various forms of government to suit their aspirations. In a continuum of governmental systems with monarchy on one end and democracy on the other end. Between them are various shades of governments that tilt to either side. So there are autocracy, totalitarianism, dictatorship, fascism, oligarchy, plutocracy, gerontocracy, theocracy, meritocracy, etc. And the list of typologies appears endless, with newer shades that are driven by the competing ideologies of Marxism and Capitalism that have set countries of Latin America and Africa in history as theatres of conflict and brutal power-mongering, leading to widespread political instability, poverty, corruption and untold loss of human lives.
Eminent political scientists have held that there is no perfect system of government, especially democracy. Yet however faulty the principles and practices of democracy may be, it appears to be the system closest to achieving peace and stability that can guarantee liberty and progress for the world's countries.
Now imagine a world without the influence of the United Kingdom and the United States, despite their sins. Their citizens are undoubtedly happier and possess greater freedoms than those who live in Russia and China, where dissenting opinions by citizens are not tolerated. Then compare the rich and stable countries of Scandinavia to North Korea and realise that the practice of modern democracy remains the denominator for stability and prosperity which has made countries that practise democracy more prosperous and stable. Many Africans are prepared to risk their lives at sea and in the horrid desert just to set foot in Westen Europe. And even Indians, Pakistanis, Syrians and other nationals make the West their preferred destination point of migration. Democracy is the difference!
According to Acemoglu and Robinson in their book: Why Nations Fail, “Countries such as Great Britain and the United States became rich because their citizens overthrew the elites who controlled power and created a society where political rights were much more broadly distributed, where the government was accountable and responsive and where the great mass could take advantage of economic opportunities.”
Nigeria must strive at all costs to remain on the course of democracy, like India, a country which hasn’t recorded any military takeover since its independence in 1947 but has continually used its democratic structures and institutions to solve its many problems that were more difficult than the ones facing Nigeria presently. Nigeria must immediately work at a leadership recruitment system where faithful public servants will emerge, not those who capture government for self-serving purposes.
Nigerians must say a big NO to any military takeover. Never again! There is no non-alignment on this issue. Nigeria should have nothing to do with a Russia that starts an unprovoked war in Ukraine and uses Wagner forces to destabilise Mali and Burkina Faso. Nigeria must stop its incipient enslavement to Chinese loans and influence and rise to define its future and greatness with a preparedness to pay the price of sacrifice and innovation.
Therefore, Nigerians must banish the thought of a military deus ex machina in the present Nigerian situation!
Frank Tietie
Lawyer & Social Commentator writes from Abuja