Democracy in My Country : Is It Really Working?

Democracy is supposed to be this sweet system of government where the people actually do have the power, right ? Like, you vote for who you want, and they do win, and then they lead based on what the people want, at least that is how it was explained to us back then in school and that is how it should be in real life, but in my country, nigeria, omo the way democracy dey happen here ehn, sometimes you will just shake your head and wonder if this is the same democracy people are talking about in other parts of the world.

See ehn, democracy here is like a movie kinda like Nollywood drama, see we already know the ending before it even starts sef, election period will come, politicians go from house to house, street to street, promising heaven and earth, they will tell you they will build roads and give free education, improve healthcare, even make food cheaper, everybody will be so hyped, then voting day comes, people go out under the hot sun, line up for hours just to cast their vote, after the results come out and the person enters, na so the story will change, the same people that were shouting “my people, my people” will suddenly disappear into office, forgetting all the things they have promised.

Honestly, sometimes it feels like democracy here is only by name, because in reality, the wellbeing of the people does not even look like the priority at all, the economy is still in shambles, fuel price skyrockets every other month, and basic things like electricity and good roads are still like luxury, sometimes you will wonder if we are truly practicing democracy or if it is just another form of modern day suffering.

But do not get me wrong, democracy has its own good side, at least we do get the chance to vote and speak up compared to military rule back then when one man could just wake up and just decide for everybody, Freedom of speech is there too, even though sometimes it feels like you still have to be careful, the truth is, if democracy was practiced the right way, it would have been one of the best systems of government because the people would actually feel carried along.

Now to the question of if democracy has really helped the wellbeing of the people, For me o, I would say “to an extent.” maybe not as much as it should, but at least it is better than having no choice at all, Nigerians are still struggling, but imagine if there was no democracy at all, maybe things could be worse, at least we can still hold leaders accountable on social media, drag them, and call them out when they do mess up.

As for other systems of government, honestly I don’t think dictatorship or monarchy will work in this country, Nigerians don’t like being caged, we love freedom too much, so what we actually need is not to change democracy itself but to fix the way it is being practiced, things like transparency, accountability, and putting the right people in office, Imagine if people actually voted and their votes truly counted without rigging or manipulation, then maybe democracy would make more sense here.

At the end of the day, I still believe democracy is the best option we can have right now, but it has to be practiced in the right way, leaders should stop seeing it as a chance to enrich themselves and start seeing it as a chance to serve, If that happens, maybe the whole idea of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” will finally make sense in this country.

So yeah, democracy in Nigeria is not perfect, far from it, but I believe if things can change, if leaders can actually do the work and citizens too can hold them responsible,I think we might start to see the real benefits of it, until then, we just keep pushing and hoping things get better.

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