Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that democracy has failed in Africa, emphasizing that it has not delivered tangible benefits to the continent.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the 60th birthday colloquium of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Obasanjo expressed his concerns about the current state of democracy in Africa.
“If we’re talking about democracy failing in Africa, then it has indeed failed,” Obasanjo remarked. “Why has it failed? Because it is neither rooted in our context nor our culture. It doesn’t reflect our way of life, our values, or our beliefs.”
He further questioned whether the term “democracy” was being used to describe the Western model of liberal democracy, as opposed to the traditional governance systems that existed in Africa prior to colonial rule.
“In Africa, before colonialism, we had systems of governance that addressed the needs of our people. Whatever we call it, to me, it was democracy. As Abraham Lincoln, the American president, defined it, democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Obasanjo emphasized that democracy is supposed to be a system of government that benefits all citizens, not just a select few. He lamented the shift from the direct participation of Greek-style democracy to representative democracy, which, according to him, has failed to meet the needs of the broader population.
He also criticized the current political system in Africa, which he believes has allowed leaders to accumulate wealth through illegal and corrupt practices, leaving the citizens to seek justice through the courts.
