AS we reach the conclusion of this series on the state of election and governance, it’s important to address the overwhelming discontent that permeates our nation. There is so much discontent in our land. This is because the political class and the bureaucrats have failed to provide us with visionary leadership. Our country is currently on the fast lane to anarchy. Despite a devastating civil war, the Ibos still desire their Biafra because the issues and grievances they fought a war for, still exist to this day. Boko Haram has appropriated a large swath of land and area of influence in the north-east. The Middle Belt is hotly contested by marauding Fulanis and the natives. Southern Kaduna is in the throes of a religious genocide. Hoodlums currently are engaged in the sport of abducting citizens for ransom at will. Are we not yet in a failed state? The nation’s economy is in tatters. The restive Ijaws have decimated our oil and gas production. Industries that were productive ten years ago have closed shops and relocated elsewhere. Educational institutions are shadows of their pasts and it is so easy to see why. The Health industry is similarly positioned. Actually, the entire social services in the country are not really worth the offices they occupy. So, I ask again: Are we not there yet, the stage of a failed State?
In reflecting on our journey into nationhood, it is abundantly clear that democracy, as it is currently practiced in Nigeria is not the best system for us. There are countries around the world where governance by selection, rather than by election, has produced stable and prosperous societies. United Kingdom is one of them. Despite the fact that their parliament is elected on the basis of popular means, their head of state is a monarchy, and they have a House of Lords whose members are appointed by the King and royalty occupying a second legislative cornerstone. Together, these form the guardians of the Kingdom.
In these countries, the selection process is not a free-for-all contest, but a careful and deliberate process designed to choose leaders who are best suited to govern. The emphasis is on merit, experience, and the ability to lead, rather than on who can steal the most votes. The results speak for themselves: these nations have managed to avoid many of the pitfalls that come with electoral democracy, such as corruption, political violence, and division.
Elections are sham exercises in Nigeria. The integrity of the process has been eroded to the point where many Nigerians have lost faith in the very idea of democracy. The judiciary, which should serve as the guardian of our democracy, has too often been complicit in this corruption, turning a blind eye to electoral fraud and upholding dubious election results. The enormous resources we have poured into these British American models that we have failed to understand are monies and time ill-spent. These wasted resources have yielded us nothing good, only chaos and poverty.
Wondering if we can salvage something out of this ruin, recognizing that we have no other country but this, we must turn our backs to these failed electoral processes.
In my own search for answers, I am drawn to the governance systems that existed in our land before the British invasion. These systems, though far from perfect, were deeply rooted in our traditions and values. They were systems of selection, not election, where leaders were chosen not by the many, but by the wise and the respected, and those chosen would work to actualize the will of the people. These wise selectors, known as the King Makers were not appointed by their power or wealth but were naturally selected by age, experience, integrity, and wisdom, The representatives they chose were not imposed upon the people; they were received with respect and reverence because they were seen as the rightful representatives of the communities. The kingmakers had a sacred duty to choose Kings/ Obas who would uphold the values of the land, protect the people, and govern with fairness and justice. The selected representatives instinctively understood that their loyalty and service are for the community. No one else’s.
Perhaps it is time for us to revisit these systems. To look back at the way our ancestors chose their leaders, and to learn from the principles that guided them. We must research the methods used to select the paramount leaders, the ones who were able to unite their people and command respect. There is wisdom in our history, and we would do well to rediscover it. This will be a way that honors our past while addressing the challenges of the present.
We will need to hold serious dialogues to actualize this. Such dialogues will not be a constitutional conference, not a jamboree, not a feckless exercise. It must be a dialogue for the soul of this Country. If we can find a way to adapt these principles to our modern context, we may discover a system that works better for us—a system where leaders are selected not through a corrupt and flawed electoral process, but through a careful and deliberate selection process that values merit, integrity, and the ability to lead. Above all such a system will save enormous resources that could be injected into the provision of urgently needed social services.
This is not a call to abandon democracy altogether, but to refine it, to make it more reflective of our unique history and culture. We must seek out a hybrid system that combines the best of both worlds—a system where the people still have a voice, where the leaders who rise to the top are those who have been carefully chosen for their ability to govern with wisdom and justice.
In this new system, the people will have a deeper respect for those who lead them because they will know that their leaders have been chosen with care and deliberation. The kingmakers, those who select our leaders, must themselves be chosen with the same care, ensuring that they are individuals of integrity who cannot be swayed by money or power. When there is prosperity in the land, people earn a living wage, enough for their families, and so are contented and shun thievery.
Let us take up this challenge as an evolution of democracy. Let us build a system that reflects on who we are, that draws on the wisdom of our past, and that provides us with the strong and just leadership we so desperately need. In so doing, we can create a Nigeria that is truly united, where the will of the people is respected, and where our leaders are worthy of the trust we place in them.
This is the future we must strive for— a future where our country is led by people chosen for their ability to genuinely lead, not those who can just play the system. It’s a future that respects our history, acknowledges our present struggles, and holds the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
