This Demo Is Crazy!!!

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So apparently, democracy is meant to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Well, that’s what we’ve been told since we could learn to read and write. We were told that democracy is just this brilliant idea that would save any nation and keep anyone in check. It was supposed to give the common man a choice, and also give them a voice, to know that however things go, they’re heard and valued in their own nation.

But that’s not the reality now, is it? Democracy is basically nothing to write home about. Democracy allows people to get into positions of authority and then mould the entire country to suit their whims. They turn it into something that will always work out for them. And that’s why sadly, some countries find it hard to break away from some terrible things that are happening to them.

Even if it's for a limited time, as long as they’re in the seat of power, the country will be whatever they wish it to be. Take the US for instance, you can note one distinctive difference between each President and also see what their focus was. From Trump’s administration to Biden, and even Barack Obama. However far back you take it, you notice the way the country was during their time as president and how that affected the people.

Here in Nigeria, it’s no different. Nigeria is currently undergoing another change. From Obasanjo, down to Yar-Adua, Jonathan, Buhari, and now the current President Tinubu, we’ve been moving through several stages where power is just being passed around to those in the same circle. These guys just get into the seat of power, take what they want, do whatever they want, and leave it for the successor to continue from where they stopped.

I have to be honest… democracy has not really been favorable to Nigeria and her people. That’s the sad truth. We don’t have a voice. If you don’t have money or power, if you don’t know anyone influential, you basically don’t matter. The police we see on the streets every day are not there to protect us. They’re there to protect the interests of the rich and powerful. What about the soldiers who risk their lives following orders? Sadly, the orders are also to protect the interests of the rich and powerful.

Democracy has not really helped us, and that’s painful after everything it’s been touted up to be. But still, are we willing to risk other forms of government? We’ve already gone through military rule, and we saw how terrible it was. Can we really go back to that? But then, we can also consider monarchies and use kings and queens instead of Presidents.

But then, will that work? We already have kings in most villages and towns around Nigeria. How well have they helped their people? Won’t that be akin to chaining ourselves to one family for perpetual enslavement? But is that any different from how we’re currently chained to the same cycle of politicians who lead us today?

The thing is, the democracy that’s messing up my country presently is working well in other countries. The monarchical system is also working well in other countries. Military rule is working well in other countries. Scratch that, I meant ‘some other countries’. In the end, it’s not about the system, it’s not even about the politicians and the leaders. It’s about the people.

The people choose the leaders. It doesn’t matter if an election is rigged or a leader is forced upon you, by choosing to do nothing about it, you’re compliant, and thus everything they do while in power will also somewhat be your fault. Today, despite how bad things are, many people are still looking at the presidential seat through tribal and religious lens, many people are still planning on how they’d readily collect a few cups of rice in exchange for votes come election day.

You see, democracy isn’t the problem. The corrupt leaders are not even the problem. We the people, we’re the problem. The longer we choose to ignore the rot, the longer it’ll fester. The more we continue to ‘pray’ for only our well-being, the more we continue to say things like ‘this administration will favor me and my family’ when everything is going crazy all around us, then we won’t really win. We make it an us-versus-them situation when truly it’s just us… living under the heel of those in power.

When we start thinking for the good of the country, and not just for ourselves, maybe then democracy would start to be all we were promised it would be. Until then, let’s stay strong and keep fighting. Things just might get tougher.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{This post is inspired by the first topic of this week which is Democracy. Feel free to try it out.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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