Professor Sylvester Odion-Akhaine critiques Nigeria’s stagnant democracy compared to Ghana, highlighting institutional failures, electoral fraud, and chronic human rights abuses. He notes Ghana’s successful transition between political parties, contrasting it with Nigeria’s limited democratic progress since 2015. Odion-Akhaine attributes Nigeria’s issues to mismanagement of resources and ongoing ethnic conflicts, calling for urgent reforms.
Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, a Professor of Political Science and Human Rights Activism, asserts that Nigeria’s democracy is stagnating compared to Ghana, which has undertaken effective institutional development over the past two decades. He commended Ghana for its advances in electoral processes and the resilience of its institutions, including the Electoral Commission, Judiciary, and Security Agencies, which maintain professionalism and impartiality.
During the 103rd Inaugural Lecture at Lagos State University, titled “Shifting for Good: The Weapon of Empiricism in the Disorder of a Third Wave of Democracy in Africa,” Odion-Akhaine underscored that while Ghana’s democracy has matured qualitatively, Nigeria’s has only expanded quantitatively. He highlighted that international efforts facilitated the establishment of a peace council in Ghana, which mediates electoral disputes effectively.
Odion-Akhaine pointed out that since 2000, Ghana has experienced a change of power across four electoral cycles between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). In contrast, Nigeria has seen only one significant transfer of power from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, reflective of its ongoing political struggles.
He identified four significant issues contributing to Nigeria’s democratic stagnation. Firstly, he cited the lack of free and fair elections; many elections since 1999 have reportedly been marred by fraud, as noted by the Commonwealth Observers in 2007. The rigged elections have led to political violence, including senseless killings.
Secondly, Odion-Akhaine expressed concern over human rights abuses prevalent throughout each administration since 1999, marked by state violence, such as the massacres in Odi and Zaki Biam. Furthermore, the ongoing conflict with Boko Haram has exacerbated these human rights crises.
Additionally, ethnic tensions and identity have defined electoral behavior in Nigeria, where periodic ethnic clashes remain a reality, causing fragmentation and division. Lastly, the mismanagement of public resources is critical; the political elite has facilitated a system of corruption where a significant portion of national income is wasted on recurrent expenditures.
He concluded that politics in Nigeria has fostered an environment ripe for the misappropriation of public funds, burdening the economy and undermining developmental progress. The pervasive corruption within Nigerian governance structures remains a daunting challenge, impacting the nation’s growth and stability.
In summary, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine delineates the comparative stagnation of Nigerian democracy relative to Ghana’s more progressive and institutionally resilient political landscape. He identifies critical factors such as electoral malpractices, human rights violations, ethnic rivalries, and fiscal mismanagement as impediments to Nigeria’s democratic consolidation. The observations underscore the critical need for reform in Nigeria to foster a more functional and equitable democratic environment.
Original Source: businessday.ng
