Nigeria Democracy Is For The Rich.

By Egbara Emmanuel
29/05/17

 In Nigeria as a country Democracy is a system of government where the political power rests with the nation's population either directly or through elected representatives.

According to Abraham Lincoln It is the government of the people, for the people, by the people but in Nigeria Democracy is the government of the rich for the rich and by the rich,
From the definition of Abraham one should be able to infer that the purpose of democracy is to build a just society where the interests of all the people are cared for rich and poor, men and women, minorities as well as the majority and the economy works for the benefit of all but in Nigeria the reverse is the case.

 Democracy should be about the ordering of society to bring about justice for all but in Nigeria those who loot our common wealth are honoured with National awards why those who steal vegetation are still in prison.

 If it does not work for the common good then there is something seriously wrong.Nigeria in particular, has been a staunch promoter of democracy and has fought to have democracy entrenched in all system Yet some writers have raised a number of important questions about the nature of Nigeria democracy.

For example, why is it that only those from wealthy backgrounds are able to become presidential candidates? Or those who have govern our grade grand fathers are still the one governing us.

Why is it that Nigeria not only champions democracy but champions extreme individualism and unbridled capitalism and has strongly opposed any form of socialism (which might spread the benefits of development more widely among people)?

Why is it that Nigeria's wealthy elites are able to exert such strong influence on political elections and economic decisions?
In my book yet to be publish  Fighting Poverty in the Nigeria I point out that all the Nigerian political institutions are ultimately the product of an 20th Century Constitution which was crafted by a minority of white and wealthy men of property determined to stop the State from expropriating their wealth and to limit the amount of redistribution the poor could demand of the rich.

Hence, the concerns of the rich are strongly protected and Nigeria has a bias against welfare for the poor and redistribution of wealth.

In western countries
"Not only does government spending in the Europe favour the poor much more than Nigeria , but government tax policy as well is much more distributive. Income tax rates are more progressive than in Nigeria."

The Nigeria Rich provides hard evidence of the extreme prosperity of Nigeria's wealthy elite and shows how they are able to use their strong political influence to structure economic policy (e.g. tax policy) in their own self-interest.

So, while all Nigerians may be able to vote in elections, does democracy in Nigeria work for the benefit of all the people or mostly for the benefit of those with wealth and power?

If democracy is for the benefit of all the people of a nation, why is such blatant inequality tolerated? Does democracy necessarily work in the interests of justice for all?

 Nigerians are raised to fervently believe that no progress can be made in any society in the absence of elections. They are taught to equate elections with democracy, and democracy with elections."
Yet, as we know, elections alone do not guarantee real democracy.

Some would say that liberal democracy in Nigeria (and some other countries as well) has become an integral part of the capitalist system and, therefore, is class-based and not fully or truly democratic or participatory. It is "bourgeois democracy" where only the most financially powerful people have their say.

Consequently it is fundamentally un-egalitarian and facilitates economic exploitation of the poorer classes. Certainly the cost of political campaigning may mean that the system favours the rich (who may be a small minority of the total number of voters) and thus in reality the elected government becomes a form of plutocracy (or rule of the elite).

Elections in Nigeria are an opportunity citizens of a country get every few years to decide who among the ruling classes will misrepresent them in different offices.
Or again, modern democracy may be regarded as a dishonest farce used to keep the masses from getting restless by providing the hope that things might get better when they have another election.

Reforms are needed in the electoral process so that the power of big money is removed.

 Otherwise democracy can never be "of the people" i.e. poor or middle class people. It will always be class dominated.

 Democracy will be for the rich.
In this connection ownership of the media by a few of the rich elite may lead to more specific distortion of the electoral process. The media are themselves a vital element of the electoral process. They can be used to protect the interests of their own class and suppress any criticism of the status quo.

It is important for us to understand this Nigera bias towards individualism and wealth and against welfare and redistribution because Nigeria dominates decisions made by the the African Union.

 Consequently the benefits of its form of democracy will not benefit all the people but only the elite. In this connection it is interesting to note the words of Epeli Hau'ofa (1987:101): "One very important development that we have to watch carefully is the emergence of privileged classes in  for it is certain that the fates of the communities are being decided by the ways in which these groups act, first, in relation to their own underprivileged people and, second, in relation to their important connections with each other and with similar groups elsewhere.

It is the privileged who decide on the needs of their communities and whose rising aspirations and affluence entail worsening conditions for the poor."

Egbara Emmanuel is a social media Activist,a writer and a child protection Ambassador.