Jega laments bad governance robs Nigerians of accountability, rule of law
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Attahiru Jega, Professor of political science and former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, has lamented that Nigerians have not enjoyed the dividends of democracy – transparency, accountability, the rule of law, et cetera – since the return of democratic rule in 1999 because of bad governance.
Jega, whose INEC conducted fairly credible votes in 2011 and 2025, said Nigeria parades leaders but is in short supply of good leaders.
He was delivering a paper at a retreat organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Ilorin.
“Nigeria has been on a trajectory of liberal democratic development continuously for 23 years, since 1999 when the military returned to the barracks.
“While every four years we have routinely elected representatives into the legislative and executive arms of government, there is consensus that these elements of liberal democratic development have not yet translated into substantive socioeconomic development that satisfies the needs and aspirations of the overwhelming majority of citizens,” he said.
“For the past 23 years, the country has been under democratic rule, but the so-called dividends of democracy have not yet been desirable for the majority of Nigerian citizens.
“Unfortunately, there has been bad leadership, not that there are no good leaders in the country, but they are in short supply while the democratic institutions are also weak.
“In general, leadership at all tiers of the Nigerian federation has not been good; it has been essentially bad and undemocratic; characterised by bad, rather than good, democratic governance
“Many national organisations and institutions have been afflicted/affected by this tendency towards bad governance.
“The basic things we require in good governance are good leaders that can be transformational and transitional if we are to achieve good dividends of democracy.”
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Qualities of good leadership
Jega, former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), stressed the key qualities of leadership in a democratic context include good representation, responsibility and responsiveness, integrity and honesty.
In his view, such a leader must have cognate experience and competence, understand democratic governance, and inspire and motivate the followership.
“We also need institutions that can inspire good governance,” he added, per The PUNCH.
NILDS Director General Abubakar Sulaiman, a Professor, insisted Nigeria cannot afford to fail its citizens in its more than two decades of democratic evolution.
He said the pessimism expressed by Western apologists about the survival of democracy in the country should be motivation to consolidate on gains and not a setback.
Retreat organised to key into agenda of new administration
Sulaiman, former Minister of Planning, stressed with 23 years of uninterrupted democracy, Nigeria has proved wrong its critics, most of whom are from the West.
He added: “Divergent opinions and views are allowed in any clime. And for the so-called apologists of democracy worldwide who believe that Nigeria cannot survive with its democracy, we don’t need to look outside, we don’t need to entertain fear because we can’t afford to fail our people.
“We have started democracy in almost 24 years now. When we first started, people never thought we would get to where we are now.
“For some people to have this kind of phobia and pessimism and say Nigeria cannot survive, be it in the area of security, or political system, it is for us as a people to put that one behind us and see that perhaps as something that could ginger us to move forward. That we have done in the last 24 years.
“We are not perfect as a democracy, we have our shortcomings and inadequacies here and there, but those things are not substantial enough for anybody to condemn the country as a democracy.
“I think we have done so much and I hope with the new government and with our democratic credentials, we stand a chance to do better, going forward.
“I’m not disturbed by the pessimism of the apologists of the Western world. Democracy is not akin to the Western world. It is customised and domiciled in your own environment.
“So, we have our own brand of democracy. To the best of my knowledge, I think we have been able to do it. We have done so much and we can still do so much.”
Sulaiman disclosed the retreat was organised for the management staff of NILDS to key into the agenda of President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly (NASS).
“At the legislative level, the 10th National Assembly has started work in earnest under the able and uncommon leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio. In consonance with our statutory mandate, NILDS will continue to provide research and capacity-building services to the National Assembly as well as other democratic institutions.
“In the executive, the country is witnessing momentous changes under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in the economic domain.
“For these changes to be impactful and achieve the desired outcomes, the strategic partnership between the executive and legislative arms of government must be deepened.
“We at NILDS must therefore understand the nature of the fundamental changes and be in a good position to provide the necessary support to the National Assembly and other democratic institutions in line with our statutory role.”
