Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has condemned the failing democratic systems across Africa, stating that the current form of democracy practiced on the continent is far removed from its original ideals.
Speaking at the 60th birthday celebration of former Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, in Abuja on Monday, Obasanjo said democracy, which was meant to be a government of the people and by the people, has now become a government for only a small group of individuals. He argued that what was once a system designed to serve all people has now evolved into “representative democracy” that fails to serve everyone equally.
“Democracy is meant to be a system of government that delivers and delivers to all the people, not just a section of the people, not just a few. But what we have today, I believe since we’ve gone past the Greek democracy, which brought everybody to the square and everybody has a say in the decision-making which affects everybody, democracy has now become representative democracy. And representative democracy has not taken care of everybody,” Obasanjo said.
The former president further lamented that modern democracy in Africa has morphed into a system where a small number of people govern over a large majority who remain deprived of the basic needs of life. “Today we have democracy, which is government of small number of people by small number of people over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life,” he said.
Obasanjo also emphasized that democracy, as it is currently practiced in Africa, does not reflect the continent’s culture or way of life. He argued that African leaders are more concerned with personal gains from their positions than with serving the people who elected them.
“Now that is not democracy that will endure, so if you are talking of democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed. And why has it failed? Because it didn’t have any context. It is not African, it does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe, Ubuntu – I am because we are; it is now, I am because I can grab,” Obasanjo stated.