Democracy was always doomed to fail in Nigeria

Generated by meta Ai

Right from grade school till date, different teachers have endowed me with countless lectures about the term "Democracy". It embodies a system of government where power ultimately lies in the hands of the people within a certain geographical entity. What this means is that the populace of a country can select their own leaders to represent their interest usually through periodic elections, express their opinions, indirectly influence the and if they are unsatisfied with the performance of their representative, they can also oust him/her from office.
Most countries around the world has adopted this particular system as it comes with numerous privileges like:
‌Respect for human rights
‌Equality and justice
‌Acountability and transparency
‌citizen participation etc.
The opportunities that comes with a democratic system are limitedless and in hindsight, it would appear that any country that practices is on the path to extraordinary growth and development. However democracy is leans on the idealistic side predominantly working wonders on paper or theories instead of its actual practice and in reality most of the benefits associated with its operation are only enjoyed by the elite class of society largely because how it is easily corrupted and manipulated.

Generated by meta Ai

Since gaining independence in 1990, Nigeria has a attempted three interrupted democratic eras and is currently on the fourth (4th Republic) starting in 1999 till date producing five presidents in total. These 26 year of life span that was meant to be the embodiment of positive change has instead transformed the country into a far worst state than it has ever been. The poverty rate is alarming dangerous, corruption is now a societal norm, a depleting structure and the people can not even choice their own leaders because the electoral institutions that are supposed to represent the interest of the masses are nothing but puppets ready to sell the results of elections to the highest bidder making it impossible for democracy to bloom. This visible shortcomings brings us to the million dollar question "if democracy isn't working, what should the country practice in its place?".

Right from the start democracy was doomed to fail in Nigeria because of how easy it was for our leaders to utilize it to sooth their needs and the very people put in place to checkmate their powers are accomplices in this heinous crime. Democracy can still flourish in this country if, only if it is mixed with strict meritocracy (and communism) where leaders are just chosen based on popularity but by who is the most fit for the job. This system should also attach an aggressive accountability mechanism to ensure that this rulers do not abuse their power and when they do a non negotiable sanctions awaits their poor decisions. Mind you for this to work these bodies have to be independent and should be accountable to the people to reduce the chances of being influenced by the overwhelming power of the executive arm of government. It is not without it's own form of hiccups but with the right tools set in place and continous effort, I believe the goals aligned with it are achievable.

Mine

Democracy is usually describe as the peak of human development as it takes into account the best tools for the people and centers on hope for positivity. However without a stern hand to stir it into the right direction, it will become another avenue for exploitation.
Thanks

PS: The first two images are generated by meta Ai but the last belongs to me