A number of stakeholders have expressed united opinion on the need for Nigeria to adopt an alternative system of democratic governance to the current presidential, which, according to them, has failed the country.
The Parliamentary System Support Group (PSSG), a body made of 83 members of the 10th House of Representatives, held its National Dialogue on a Home Grown Parliamentary System of Government Monday in Abuja, during which the stakeholders agreed that the current system and its attending effect of lack of accountability and high cost of governance.
The group, through its spokesman, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, however justified its drive for a shift to a Nigerian-styled system of government.
“Clearly, we need an alternative. But what should replace this presidential model—a mere imitation of the American system—must be a home-grown solution. This answer is not for any individual or group to dictate; it must emerge from a genuine dialogue among Nigerians, especially between the young and the old, the new generation and those before them.
“Each of us is affected differently by the dysfunction in our presidential system, and this shared experience invites us all to be part of this aspiration for a new governance model”, he said.
…Ango Abdullahi backs move
Chairman of the event and elder statesman, Professor Abdulahi Ango, recalled that the parliamentary system of government, as bequeathed to Nigeria by the British colonists, was working “until some people who were in a hurry (coupists) felt that it was not working, and overthrew it.”
He argued that if the alternative later adopted had failed, answers should be provided to the question on why we failed.
“Democracy is very elastic in meaning, so we can have our own home-grown democracy. Adopting the American presidential system was our first mistake”, he said, adding that it is a system that does not fit into our cultural system and other values.
He stressed that if the parliamentary system did not work in just after four years before it was overthrown in the first republic, Nigeria is worse today after over 24 years of running the presidential system.
Also, former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress (AC), Dr. Usman Bugaje, saluted the courage of the group of lawmakers to bring the issue to the fore, advising however that the focus should be broadened.
“The last 25 years have not given Nigerians what they expected-poverty is deepening, insecurity is escalating, there’s mind-boggling corruption”, he said, adding that the idea of a home-grown system was in order, and that anyone who keeps borrowing foreign system will end up being enslaved.
He encouraged the parliament to stick to its guns as it is constitutionally empowered. “Parliaments today are largely rubber stamps”, he said.
…Our focus – Group
Presenting the welcome remarks on behalf of the Parliamentary System Support Group earlier, Hon. Dasuki recalled that reflecting on the over 25 years of democracy in Nigeria, “it is impossible not to recognise that this period has been an experiment—one that has tested our patience, optimism, and enduring hope for a better nation.
“Yes, we have nurtured and embraced this democracy, but let us be candid: this is not the democracy we desire, nor the one our founding fathers envisaged. A closer look at our system reveals fractures that can no longer be ignored, dreams left unfulfilled, and gaps that beg to be filled. Now is the time to address these issues. Now is the time to rethink an escape route from this reality. Now is the time to set our minds on crafting a new path—a cure for the affliction that has transformed our democracy into a spectacle of pity.
“For years, we have argued and debated how to cure this affliction, but we must always remind ourselves that the core problem lies in the vehicle through which we experience this democracy: the current presidential system. Each election year, we invest our hopes and dreams into a system expected to uplift our people, only to find ourselves repeating the same wish after every cycle of four challenging years. Instead of a government that works for the people, we see one that serves public officials—a government that grows fat on bloated overheads, delivering scant dividends to its citizens.”
During the panel discussions, former Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Kingsley Chinda, who is also a leading member of the PSSG, all agreed to the need to seek an alternative to the current presidential democracy in Nigeria.
Dogara, who cautioned that it is always difficult to have a rational discourse in Nigeria today without sentiments or biases, said there was need for leaders to play by the rules.
“There has been a serious lack of accountability. Any system that makes the people fear those in power is rather imperial,” he stated.