Duke, despite his criticism, admitted that Nigeria has both the human and material resources needed for progress and to overcome its challenges.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has assessed the progress made since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, lamenting that Nigerians were better off under military rule.
The former Cross River State Governor made this known while speaking during an interview over the weekend, where he argued civilian governments haven’t provided the needed dividends of democracy since the country returned to civil rule 27 years ago.
According to Duke, despite the advent of the current democratic system, the lives of ordinary Nigerians have not improved significantly.
He said, “The people were better off under the military. At least governance was not that expensive.”
Duke added, “We’re still having the same problems we had 27 years ago. It’s getting worse. The number of children out of school has not improved; it’s deteriorating. The healthcare system is not improving; it’s deteriorating.”
While wondering whether Nigeria is better off today than it was in 1999, he pointed to persistent challenges such as poor infrastructure, unemployment, and inadequate electricity supply.
“The problems that existed before 1999 — electrification, unemployment — those things are still there. And I don’t see a structured approach towards dealing with these issues.”
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Duke also criticised Nigeria’s political system, describing the opposition as weak and self-serving. He argued that many citizens have lost faith in elections because they believe their votes do not count.
“The opposition is terribly weakened and self-centred. Democracy is also in danger. The results you get from the polls often don’t reflect the views of the people.”
He said this lack of trust has reduced accountability, allowing elected officials to ignore the needs of the people.
The PRP chieftain went on to claim that Nigeria’s democratic institutions are failing in their responsibility to provide checks and balances, citing the swift approval of Nigeria’s return to the former national anthem and arguing that lawmakers failed to properly scrutinise the decision.
Duke also blamed the country’s elite for abandoning leadership responsibilities and allowing politics to become a permanent occupation for a select group.
“It’s a failure of the elite more than anything else. We’re elites; we’re enlightened people, but we abdicated our leadership to those whom we should be leading.”
He warned that the growing gap between the rich and poor could threaten social stability, recalling a prediction that a time would come when the wealthy would struggle to sleep because of widespread poverty.
He concluded that “Nigeria is exceedingly blessed,” adding, “It’s sad. It’s painful that we are where we are.”
