The
year was 1986. That was when Fela Anikulapo-Kuti burst the charts with Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense. Gen.
Ibrahim Babangida’s regime was in its infancy following the collapse of the
second republic (1979 – 1983), and the subsequent overthrow of the
Buhari/Idiagbon regime (August, 1985). At
that time Nigeria has had at least two failed attempts at presidential
democracy, but who could have imagined that the worst was yet to come. The Abami
Eda, with his legendary insightful lyrics in Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense examined the adoption of western
style democracy in Nigeria (and the rest of Africa), without as much
consideration for our own history, culture and tradition.
“Who
be teacher? I go let you know…”
Fela
was on point implying that as a nation, our culture and tradition are the best
teachers. The history of democracy dates back to the ancient world to its
re-emergence and rise from the 17th century to
the present day. One constant feature in that history is how different nations
have modified it over time to suite their peculiar situations. Historian Jack
Weatherford asserts that Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin, and others, got their ideas on democracy not from any Greek
or Roman influence, but from the Iroquois and other indigenous peoples of the Americas, who practiced the type of democracy found in the United
States Constitution, through self-governing
territories that were part of a larger whole. This democracy was founded
between the years 1000-1450, and lasted several hundred years. He also states
that American democracy was continually changed and improved by the influence
of Native Americans throughout North America.
Back
to Nigeria, the question then is that considering how much the holistic adaptation
of western style democracy have failed to yield the supposed dividends, is it
not time we start to consider an adaptation of democracy better suited to our
culture and traditions, to our own peculiarities as a people? Fela in that song
even cited various countries and how “na dem culture for there be teacher for
dem….” Consider China, despite consistent pressures from the West (notably the
U.S.), the Chinese did not adopt western style democracy. Yet they have the
fastest growing economy today, in a stable and generally prosperous society. We
were all witnesses to how the crafted dismemberment of the Soviet Union through
the introduction of western style reforms and democracy brought Russia to its
knees. Despite many misgivings about Russia’s Vladimir Putin’s leadership style
and claims by the West that he is ‘stifling democracy’, he has performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing
stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the
table of world power (Time
magazine). Whatever we have going on in
Russia today is not real democracy by western standards, but who cares? Whatever
Mr. Putin is selling, good old Russia is buying! His people mostly love him,
and he‘s restoring the glory to a nation that was on the brink. This month he
was endorsed as Time magazine’s person of the year for 2007.
On the African continent, Libya’s Al-Gaddafi despite been widely seen
as a sit-tight autocrat rules over a relatively stable, orderly and prosperous
Libya. Nigeria on the other hand with our so-called democracy is more or less a
failed state! While I do not imply that Nigeria needs her own sit-tight strong
man, I am saying that governance should not be a ‘copy-and-paste’ work, rather
it should actively evolve bearing positive elements of the people’s unique
culture and experiences.
“Who be our teacher? Na Oyinbo….”
Our sorry adaptation of western style democracy can be likened to
a student who for whatever reason decided to copy the brilliant student sitting
next to him in an examination; only he didn’t realise they have different
versions of the same exam! Western democracies are premised on some very
fundamental principles that are mostly absent in most African societies. The principles of separation
of powers, majority rule, coupled with individual and minority rights, freedom
of speech and religion, and the right to equal protection under the law while
not completely alien to us, are more difficult to entrench in a complex tribal,
multicultural societies like we have in Nigeria and indeed most of Africa.
‘Freedom
and democracy’ are the neo-colonial weapons of choice! The renewed push by the
Americans and some European countries to advance their form of democracy across
the globe plays into their national interests in ensuring their national security,
economic growth and guaranteed oil supply. It assumes a one-size-fits-all
approach that disregards the peoples’ tradition and experiences. How else can
you explain the West’s willingness to always look the other way as we ‘murder’
democracy in Nigeria, as long as the system throws up somebody who is willing
to work with them to perpetuate the status quo (relative peace, that guarantees
the flow of oil, as well as an export market for their products). But who can
blame the West for looking out for their national interests? That is what smart
people and smart nations do! It is up to us define what our national interests
are and start fighting for them in a smart way.
The
current wave of socialist communism sweeping through South America from
Venezuela to Bolivia is another example of the ‘students’ telling their
‘democracy teachers’, “thank you, now we want to do things our own way!” We
need to break free from the mental slavery of ‘hand-me-down democracy’, that
require us to constantly validate and measure ourselves against other people’s
standards.
“Demonstration
of craze”
It
is only a crazy person that continues on a path that has only brought him
failure and will not stop to take stock and re-evaluate. ThisDay columnist, Simon
Kolawole wrote last week about how every election in Nigeria seems to be worse
than the last one (Another
Election, Another Rigging (II)).
It seems to me Nigeria is at worst working with the wrong tool, or at
best working with a tool that was customized for someone else without first re-customizing
it for our own use. If we go back to the lessons from our own history, maybe we
as Nigerians will find the key to our future.
In
evaluating all that is wrong with Nigeria today, many still continue to argue
that it is one man or one party that is the problem. Today it’s OBJ, Atiku,
UMYA, Tinubu, Iwu, Ibori, or PDP depending on who you talk to; but just a few
years ago, it was Shagari, Buhari, IBB, Abacha, NPN, NRC, or SDP depending on
who you talk to. I will go out on a limb here to say that ten to twenty years
from now if we don’t change course, we’ll be throwing around new names of
people who we’ll then think are responsible for our collective tragedies (God
forbid that those names include that of the fictitious Lieutenant-General
Josiah Killango, (The Future of Nigeria (II) - How It Could Go
Horribly Wrong, SLB
2007)). We cannot discountenance the role of individuals in how Nigeria
has turned out, but it’s time we start asking ourselves, ‘why is it that the
Nigerian social system keeps throwing up those who represent the worst in us as
leaders?’ If I have a car with serious engine problems, does it matter how many
times I change the driver?
I
think it is time the next generation starts to consider a re-evaluation of
governance in Nigeria. This type of ‘pass-me-ajeku’ democracy that we currently
operate might actually be deleterious to our ultimate survival as a nation and
as a people. Am I advocating abandoning democratic principles entirely? No way!
I am advocating a hybrid that takes the best of those principles (to the extent
that they measure up to our own values and experiences as Nigerians and
Africans), together with lessons from our own history to move our nation
forward. God bless Nigeria.
Kunle Owojori wrote from Calgary,
Alberta (Canada).
posted on 12-27-2007, 02:26:43 AM
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Re: Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense
