Political scientists in the country, under the aegis of the Political Science Association of Nigeria, have asked President Bola Tinubu to constitute a technical committee to look at the concept of liberal democracy and its practice in Nigeria, saying that it is the cause of challenges facing the country over the years.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Friday, president of the association, who is also Professor of Political Science in the University of Ilorin, Hassan Ajisafe Salihu, raised the alarm that the sociopolitical and socioeconomic challenges bedeviling the country may continue, “because both capitalism and its offspring, liberal democracy, have been observed to suffer from perennial crisis, not only in Nigeria but everywhere in the world.”
Professor Salihu, who said that liberal democracy theory was developed as a form of complementing capitalism, added that liberal democracy is the political face of capitalism, which he said was not designed for commoners.
The university don said that there is no need going for another constitutional conference, judged by the cost and the situation of the economy in the country.
Thus, he advocated constitution of a technical committee to review and work on past efforts in constitutional conferences and bring out something that would help Nigeria to resolve most of our problems.
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He said there is nothing new in Nigeria and that there had been same problems, adding that failure to address the problems as at when appropriate, had created bigger concern that now worries everyone in Nigeria.
He stated, “For us as a professional association, we don’t believe in chasing the shadow. Most Nigerians talk about high cost of this and that. Some would blame APC, and others, while some talk about ethnic rivalry or chauvinism, religious intolerance etc, but we as an association has risen above all that.
“We say all these are manifestations of a system. Why can’t you confront the system. The system in this case happens to be the vehicle with which we’re practising our democracy. Which is liberal democracy. Look around the world, liberal democracy is facing challenges.
“It’s the most popular form of democracy, yet it’s facing challenges across the world. In our view, no much tinkering, policy, efforts can cure liberal democracy from its original sickness.
“What’s the original sickness? Liberal democracy was developed as a form of complementing capitalism. In other word, liberal democracy is the political face of capitalism.
“It was not designed for commoners. And one fundamental assumptions of liberal democracy is that there’s a reasonable level of production in the society.
“As it is, what are we producing in Nigeria? There’s almost zero level of production in Nigeria. So, one fundamental level of assumption of liberal democracy is not attainable in Nigeria.
“If I may break it down, liberal democracy is expected at all time to seek for anything that would contribute to growth of capitalism. It’s a system built around property class.
“When you see policies of Nigeria government in terms of subsidy removal, etc, they’re being incubated in the oven of neo-liberal economic doctrine.
“And neo-liberal economic doctrine is economic angle to liberal democracy. They go pari passu.The private sector upon which capitalism built its hope is non-existent in Nigeria.
“Being political scientists, we’re saying that Nigeria should look at preferred vehicle to practice your democracy. Are we sure the vehicle is fit enough for the kind of aspirations you have.
“Our aspirations revolves around rapid development, better condition of life… May be our democracts have forgotten. The only thing that makes sense to Nigerians is for them to enjoy a reasonable cost of living.
“Nigerians want to see how the economic conditions have improved due to democratic practice. But each time they try to plot the graph, what they see is always, as accountants would say, in the red.
“This means it’s not meaningful or not so impactful to them. Democracy in Africa is being seen for its utilitarian value. For its ability to transform lives.
“I’ve always argued that, yes, we value freedom of speech, press etc, but Africa wants democracy to liberate them from poverty.
“Unfortunately, that’s not happening now. Whether in Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, people are lamenting the failure of democracy to improve their lives.
“I hope you’re aware of happenings in South Africa recently. You can see that the protest really is against liberal democracy they were practising because it has just failed to deliver.”
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