Nigeria was never under democratic rule from the beginning. But when it came, people dreamt and hoped for it. Hoping for a better government that would do better, but now that democracy has come I don't think it is what we signed up for. It all feels like a scheme for those in power to control and oppress people under the guise of “democracy."
Democracy is a system of government by the whole population, by all eligible members of a state through elected representatives. In civic education, we were taught that democracy is of the people, for the people and by the people. But like so many things we were taught, it isn't totally true. Or rather, whatever the system of government in my country, Nigeria, is, it isn't true. Yes, there are representatives, yes, there are elections. But you see free and fair elections? Absent, Or is it for the people and by the people? Whatever it is, just know that there is nothing democratic about our government system.
In the latest election, the president was asked why he thinks he should be president, and he said it was his turn, with his full chest, all boldness and no shame. From the grassroots to the top, all are corrupt and selfish. The so-called Democratic government in Nigeria is far from democratic. The country is run by selfish people who only think and care for themselves and not the people.
In fact, the corruption isn't just showing in the government. On Friday, we had our school students' union government election. Since my stay in the school, I have never participated in any election before. But this time I decided to participate and support the candidate from my department for the president position. I got my voting pin, and when the voting commenced, at first, the guy I was supporting was winning by a huge margin. Then, suddenly, the site went down, and when it came back up, the numbers changed, and we were losing. Not only that, but people from our department supported our opponent because of the money that they were promised. It was so disappointing.
My country is God blessed, but unfortunately is in the hands of the wrong leaders. And it isn't just the leaders but also citizens; there is no one-sided corruption. Protests can't even be held in peace anymore because the government is trying to silence us. And the most annoying part for me is that some of the well-abled youths that are supposed to lead in the protest are the ones paid chicken change by the government to cause chaos so voices won't be heard.
It's so bad that one could wish we could get another governing system but I can't even say that because I have never been under a different rule, and it is only those who were born then that can speak about how it was from what they experienced.
But what I know is that there is no democracy in Nigeria.