06 Oct 2007 |
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Repositioning Nigeria For A New Democratic Order: The Role of the Media* By Akin Oyebode** Introduction It is almost axiomatic that democracy in Nigeria has had a chequered history. Right from the immediate post-colonial period to the present, our country has been treated to rigmarole in terms of what Churchill once described as the worst form of government, apart from all the others. In fact, democratic praxis in Nigeria has left such a sour taste in the mouth that many Nigerians would seem to have lost confidence in the prospects and possibilities of government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is within this conjuncture that we are here called upon to examine what becomes of our romance with the ballot box in our collective endeavour to attain a better society. Admittedly the democratic option has enjoyed tremendous resonance especially among developing countries that believe that they have to aspire to western standards and ways of life. However, it is on record that some among the selfsame developing countries have felt the need to jettison western political nuances and approaches in their quest for socio-economic transformation which should be food for thought in our current search for a worthwhile democratic paradigm. We need to constantly remind ourselves that Nigeria occupies a unique position in the world. Not only is our country richly endowed in terms of both human and natural resources, it is no exaggeration that as Nigeria goes, so does the rest of Africa. Accordingly, the strategic choices that we make would inevitably have reverberations well beyond our shores. However, perhaps, we should begin with the question of how we found ourselves in this sorry pass before contemplating possible variants of a new democratic order and what possible role exists for the media within the unfolding scenario. Democracy a la Nigeria The life and times of democracy in Nigeria, it must be admitted, have not been altogether wholesome. If Nigerians have a history of voting that goes all the way back to the early 1920's, the fact must be stated that this has not been borne out by our experience in the recent past, punctuated, as it has been by innumerable odious and undemocratic acts such as registration of artificial and synthetic parties, violent political campaigns, intimidation and even physical elimination of opponents, faulty voters' registration, midnight disqualifications of candidates, bribery of voters, snatching of ballot boxes and surreptitious thumb printing of ballot papers coupled with declaration of spurious election results by the supervisory agencies with the connivance and protection of the police and other security agencies, etc. Indeed our last attempt at celebrating the universal festival of democracy--elections-- lost its lustre on account of countless misdeeds which rendered the entire exercise an unpardonable farrago of chicanery, incompetence and fraud, the like of which had not been seen before anywhere else. Today, Nigeria stands accused before the entire world as a country that has proven incorrigibly unable or unwilling to understand or practise the basic tenets of democracy. To the extent that recognition of the right of the people to determine, without let or hindrance, who should govern them constitutes the acid test of democracy, to that extent can it be said that the country is still at the nadir of its political development. What that means, in effect, is that we cannot set our nation on the right path in many respects, more so as politics is itself a concentrated expression of economics. This is especially unpleasant not only to us as a people but also to the rest of Africa since no-one needs being reminded that the population of Nigeria is nearly a quarter of that of the whole continent. While we like to pride ourselves as the "giant of Africa," we seem to be largely unaware of the awesome responsibility conjured by that postulate vis-à-vis Africa and, indeed, the rest of the world. Noblesse oblige. As our people would say, "The big hen is acting in patent ignorance of its size!" As observed earlier, if we fail to get our politics right, our chances of getting other things right are so much circumscribed. This explains why we have to go back to the drawing board in order to elaborate and devise new ways of ensuring good governance if we truly wish to be numbered among the leading countries of the world within the next decade or two. The shibboleth that democracy was a process and not an event needs to open our eyes to the inevitability of re-inventing our electoral process and other aspects of democratic governance if we really wish to transcend today's unacceptable, hideous realities. Towards a New Democratic Order in Nigeria When Pik Botha advised his country, South Africa, "Reform or die!" at the height t of the apartheid regime, he could well have been admonishing present--day Nigerian rulers. To any discerning observer, Nigeria is currently pregnant with change and except and unless the ruling class is sufficiently intelligent to apprehend the imminence of change and grab the momentum in order to successfully manage the process of change, it stands the risk of becoming a casualty of the unfolding scenario. The most urgent issue on the table in Nigeria today is how to effectively manage the on-going crisis in the Niger delta. Of course, the demands of inhabitants of the Niger delta for justice constitute part and parcel of the quest by other Nigerians for re-structuring and re-configuration of Nigeria's federalism. Accordingly, there is still a need for the constituent elements of the Nigerian federation to convene a big family meeting in order to hammer out the ground rules for our co-habitation. There are so many inadequacies and counter-productive aspects of the present arrangement which warrant, at the very least, re-consideration, if not indeed outright jettisoning. Since, as we all know, the constitution is the fundamental or basic law that orders our democratic praxis, no effort should be spared to fashion an entirely new constitutional arrangement, shorn of the unitarist and suffocating aspects of the current illegitimate Abubakar constitution. Except and unless and only to the extent that this is done would we be able to make a fresh start in our journey towards the democratic nirvana. This is markedly different from current proposals for a constitutional amendment. It is quite obvious that the present Constitution has gone beyond amendments. What is required is a brand new constitution, bereft of the contradictions and infelicities of the present one. For one thing, the National Assembly is ill-equipped to undertake the gargantuan task of formulating a new constitution for Nigeria since its primary responsibility is making workaday laws for the peace, order and good government of the country. Going by the failed attempt to pass 118 amendments to the Constitution, it should be quite obvious to all concerned that a document requiring so many amendments within a short span of life would end up being worse than useless and no doctor in his right mind would prescribe a remedy worse than the disease. Furthermore, we need only remind ourselves that the Americans whose constitution and democratic practice we are copying with relish have been operating their constitution for the past 220 years and only felt the need to amend the document throughout that period only 28 times! Accordingly, if we all agree that the present constitution is somewhat dysfunctional and ill-suited to the needs of the age, all we need to do is set in motion the process of convening a Constituent Assembly whose task should be to formulate the broad principles of a new Constitution, leaving the job of reducing the resulting consensus to legal form to a Constitution Drafting Committee. Once this is done, then the document should be subjected to a national referendum and, with its acceptance by 51 percent of the electorate, a new democratic order can be heralded, putting an end to the era of operating a constitution which, to borrow the language of The Patriots, "tells a lie against itself." Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that the promulgation of a legitimate fundamental law does not constitute the end of the story. Of even greater importance is the necessity to inculcate the correct democratic ethos and mind-set among politicians and public office-holders if the art of the possible is to thrive in this part of the world. It is totally unacceptable to have an intolerant political class or politicians who have no sense of shame and who would stop at nothing in their quest for filthy lucre. Our political actors need to be sensitized to the expectations of the population and the desiderata of public office instead of riveting their sights on primitive accumulation. Our current experience with venal, opportunistic, self-seeking and self-centred Governors and legislators is such that could call into being the revolt of the masses. The recent show of shame by some members of the House of Representatives typifies the character flaws of certain elements of the country's ruling class. If the polity is not to endure fatal collapse, there is an urgent need for drastic action to remedy a putrefying situation. This is where the critical role of the media comes in. The Role of the Media in the New Democratic Order Historically, the media have always exercised an overarching influence within the liberal democratic framework, so much so that an American professor has suggested that time was ripe to be talking of "mediacracy" in order to come to grips with the decisive role of the media as agenda setters in modern society. Even in older settings, intelligent political actors had grasped the critical place of the media in governance. It needs be remembered that it was not for nothing that George Washington stated that faced with a choice between government without newspapers and newspapers without government, he would most definitely prefer the latter. Napoleon was also reported to have stated that he would rather face a thousand bayonets than confront one newspaper! Accordingly, anyone who ignores or trivializes the media in the scheme of things can only do so to his peril. In these days of information communication and technology revolution, it has become compulsory especially to politicians and public office-holders to be mindful of their conduct because the whole world is watching! Since we all cannot be at the Legislature or monitor the activities of government ministries, commissions and agencies, the media in democratic societies are compelled to be our eyes and ears pursuant to probity, accountability and good governance generally. In our country, their role as watchdogs of democracy is, in fact, constitutionally guaranteed. S. 22 of the Constitution declares, "The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained [herein] and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people." What this means, in effect, is that any effort or hope of repositioning Nigeria for a new democratic order without factoring in the media is well-nigh illusory. The good news is that the media today are stronger, better prepared and more resilient to play their assumed role as gate keepers and sentinels of Nigeria's democracy. Admittedly there are still bad habits like "brown envelopes" and poor dress sense among some media practitioners, The truth of the matter, however, is that, to parody de Maistre, a people get the journalists that they deserve. It should be stated that the Nigerian media can rise up to great occasions as has been demonstrated in the struggle for independence, the civil war or the fight against the third term agenda. Therefore, if Nigerians are agreed on the need for a new way of governing ourselves, they can always count on the media to be at one with them in that laudable objective. Great tasks require great minds and some of our greatest minds are to be found within the Nigerian media. Conclusion Undoubtedly, Nigeria is today at a crossroads in terms of its future. It is pretty obvious that we cannot continue the way we are and expect different results in terms of the country's growth and development. Our country's socio-economic and political transformation would depend, to a great extent, on the choices we make relative to our attitude and approach to democratic governance. Inevitably, this entails legitimacy of the constitution that guides, shapes and moderates the functioning of the polity and the inculcation of the requisite democratic ethos and values by our political actors. This calls for a departure from unwholesome practices and unacceptable behaviour and an acceptance of international best practices by Nigerian politicians and public office-holders. The great endeavour to create a new Nigeria is a task that must be accomplished as soon as possible. However, the attainment of this laudable objective cannot be achieved without the cooperation of the media which not only have a constitutional role in the matter but also have the skill and ability to influence the tempo and character of the desired change. It is my belief that the Nigerian media would not shirk their historic responsibility in this regard.
* Paper presented at the Launching of Top Elegance Magazine, Women Development Centre, Lagos, September 25, 2007. |
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