DO YOU KNOW IT'S DEMOCRACY DAY?

By NBF News

Of course, you know tomorrow is Democracy Day! If for nothing, you can't have missed the fact that there's a public holiday on Monday? That means if anyone's owing you some money, today is the best time to collect before they leave town.

But aside from a slightly longer weekend which may not be that profitable for the self-employed, where are the real dividends of democracy? Some could ask if we really have a democracy? I'm often tempted to reply in the negative. But I've since come to a conclusion and I now operate under the philosophy regular readers already know: 'K'amion lé hi'éma' which transliterates roughly from Okpameri to the English equivalent of: 'Even (like) this is good.' If not, what's the alternative?

Does anyone have a better idea? Democracy it is, then. But we, the people, get more involved. Unfortunately, there's no short cut. I thank Her 'Reckless-ncy' Turai for getting some Nigerians to the point where they screamed, 'Enough is Enough!' But we can't relent now.

The trouble with Nigeria, according to Chinua Achebe, is leadership. And the real tragedy is that we are somehow 'blessed' with the same type of uncaring, unfeeling and ultimately not very wise leaders, whether in military khaki or in overflowing agbadas. We are not the way we are now just because we've had mostly military rule. Haven't some countries been transformed by military men with vision? Our own military men spread poverty while their personal wealth spreads, home and abroad. And have we not now succeeded in inventing a 'home grown' democracy which is the rule of the few over the majority? They tell us to go to hell because they don't need our votes as they don't count anyway.

And the trouble with Nigeria is not even zoning. There's nothing inherently wrong with deciding that because of Nigeria's peculiar situation, we should try out zoning. The trouble is when good people are 'zoned out.' Why leave out capable people who are well-prepared with ideas on how to govern, and are also physically capable and then settle for clueless, unprepared and unambitious people?

This is one question Obasanjo still has to answer. The almighty north (of the select selfish) also must prove UMYA was not the best they could offer. But if they say he was the best, then as Gbenga Adeyinka would say, wahala dey o! But I'll like to think not. There must be, at least, one qualified person in any of Nigeria's six geo-political zones.

But we the people must make our votes count. So if the PDP or any of those masquerading as parties like, let them field goats as candidates.

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