June 12, (THEWILL) – A faction of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has cautioned the administration of President Bola Tinubu against the incessant militarisation of the country’s democracy.
According to the IYC, despite the acceptable fact that June 12, 1993, has gone down in history as a day when Nigerians experienced the freest and fairest elections, the over-militarisation of the country’s democracy had become worrisome.
The IYC, through its National Spokesman, Comrade Bedford Berefa, argued that after several years of democratic rule in the county, there are still traces of military rule in governance.
It insisted that there is evident and repeated use of absolute power by the executive arm of government to dominate the rising dissenting voices of the people.
“Our democracy has been militarized with no consideration for the people, the power of the people has been undermined, the people are no longer the centre of government, manipulations and intimidation of the people has become the order of the day.
“There have been constant human rights violations everywhere, particularly in the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta region. At the slightest provocation, communities and people are being brutalised.
“The recent military escapade at the Igbomotoru community in Bayelsa state tells it all. Communities are constantly ransacked by the military, and harmless people are being killed without justice in an acclaimed practising democracy with no form of investigation done to protect the rights of the people.
“This is a deliberate practice to constantly enslave our people and it can be likened to colonial democracy using poverty like an atomic weapon.
“A democracy where the military is constantly deployed in a democratic election as if the nation is at war is unacceptable! Shockingly, the military is allegedly being used as rigging elements to secure fraudulent wins for the highest bidder.
“Also, It is quite appalling that the annual take-home pay of elective political leaders in the National Assembly is worth the 35-year salary of a civil servant. This is an aberration of our democracy. Politics seems more valuable than men and women who put their lives on the line to protect and project the vibrant Nigerian state.
“We have been told of how justice is being monetised and goes to the highest bidder. We are experiencing a politically selfish era where our politicians only think about themselves, and how to enrich their families to the detriment of the people who chose them to serve.
“This has dampened the patriotic spirit of Nigerians as many no longer believe in the future of the nation, hence the increase in young people leaving the country,” the IYC said.
It, however, called on the Federal Government and the political class to adopt a strategic policy framework to address the militarisation of Nigeria’s democracy.
“There is a need to urgently tackle the issues of injustice meted on the people, particularly in the Ijaw nation and the entire Niger Delta. We can no longer continue to play second fiddle while we are naturally endowed with resources that largely contribute to the growth and continuous development of the country.
“We can no longer allow our fate to be decided by the political bigwigs without due consultation and involvement of the people. While we appreciate the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government for trusting young people with ministerial portfolios and other strategic offices, we demand that democratic patriotism must start from political office holders; it has to be a top-to-bottom approach,” it said.
The IYC called for an urgent review of the democratic practice in the country, saying it is old-fashioned and too autocratic.
“We note that the executive amasses so many powers that regularly widens the social injustice gap. We demand a referendum that should return Nigeria to a regional government the way we have reverted to the old national anthem.
“We shall continue to clamour for resource control and self-determination as entrenched in our 1998 Kaiama Declaration,” it added.
About the Author
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
