NewStats: 3,261,119 , 8,173,081 topics. Date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025 at 09:32 AM 6u41e

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has said Nigeria’s western-style democracy has failed to deliver good governance and national unity, insisting it is time for the country to rethink its governance structure and explore alternative systems.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Agbakoba, a lawyer and rights activist, said the current model, copied from Europe and America, has not worked for Nigeria in the last 25 years of democracy.

“This is not the Nigeria I dreamt of. I thought things would have been much better,” he said. “Something is fundamentally wrong with a process that is not delivering. We need to reflect and ask ourselves whether this Western model suits us.”

Agbakoba, 71, said countries like China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which, despite not being democratic in the Western sense, have made significant developmental strides. He questioned whether democracy, as practiced in Nigeria, is the only valid governance model.

“China is not democratic, but it works. They brought 900 million people out of poverty. In contrast, Nigeria continues to wallow in underdevelopment and inequality,” he said.

He said that Nigeria’s presidential system, modeled after the United States, has been poorly implemented, leading to marginalisation, exclusion, and disempowerment of the grassroots.

“The strongest problem in Nigeria is exclusion. Power is concentrated at the centre in Abuja while the 774 local governments are weak and almost nonexistent. That’s a disaster,” he stated.

Agbakoba noted the absence of a strong opposition in the country, saying many politicians are more interested in grabbing power than in nation-building.

“It’s a winner-takes-all system. Everybody wants to be in government. No one wants to be in the opposition. So, there is no ability,” he said.

He said the recurring voter apathy in Nigeria is a sign that citizens have lost faith in the system. “People are not voting because they are not getting anything from the system. They are hungry, they are suffering. Politicians only show up every four years to make promises and disappear.”

He acknowledged some national conferences in the past, including the 2014 confab. Agbakoba noted that their reports have been ignored by successive governments.

“he problem is not the lack of ideas. The problem is that the kleptocrats who hijacked power do not want any reform. They like the system as it is,” he said.

He expressed his concern that the country is becoming increasingly unstable, and called for urgent national dialogue to rethink the structure of governance.

“We need a new model. We need a conversation. Nigeria is dangerously close to the edge, and we must be realistic about the gravity of the situation.”

He added: “Let’s face it—Nigeria is an extremely dangerous country right now. It is crying for leadership, and unless we act, things will only get worse.”

Agbakoba said he does not advocate for military rule but insisted that all options, including radical systemic change should be considered to save Nigeria from collapse.
“Do I have all the answers? No. But we have to be bold enough to ask the hard questions and look at alternatives. Nigeria is going down, and there are good people who can fix it if given the chance.”

https://dailytrust.com/agbakoba-nigerias-democracy-has-failed-we-must-explore-new-governance-models/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKZcJNjbGNrAplwj2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeGdRh6ab_Qp3xBFwcl4XGiEMknQJeHUsNpB97CfBjBmDuxi0euyY0fFiTu1Q_aem_xmSn2GipH90yON10AGU9Vg

So, military 🪖 should take over, abi?

Commentor:
So, military 🪖 should take over, abi?

Perhaps he wants to be the king of Nigeria, or we should adopt China's one party rule.

Some people don't seem to understand that those countries have a system dictated by their history. If Nigeria adopts, say, the Yoruba way of choosing our leaders, one family will rule forever.

The country is seriously crying for purposeful leadership

How did China lift their people out of poverty? Through cheap labour?

If Nigeria is too big for the black man to manage, let's balkanize it into smaller units and practice our individual democracy.

Igbo sense created the current Nigeria we are now enjoying. But na dem cry o. Shebi na una form this Nigeria for una benefit but the others hijack your greed. Since una talk say our forefathers wey set up regional government no know wetin dem de talk. Na una sharp and want to be life President. Time reach, President una no see. Haha.

Maxymilliano:
The country is seriously crying for purposeful leadership

if we collect it from tinubu who should we give it too?

Democracy didn't fail, our bad leaders did.

Agbakoba continue! Receipts are there waiting for you. You can only continue to deceive yourself.

Careful what you wish for

True talk,SAN

The biggest and most prominent failure is in the area of National unity.

I have never seen this nation this divided and torn apart as is happening under Apc.

Insecurity has worsened massively since 2015, yet we are pretending like nothing is wrong.

Rubbish.
The problem is rhe people not the system.

Bad leadership

Maxymilliano:



https://dailytrust.com/agbakoba-nigerias-democracy-has-failed-we-must-explore-new-governance-models/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKZcJNjbGNrAplwj2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeGdRh6ab_Qp3xBFwcl4XGiEMknQJeHUsNpB97CfBjBmDuxi0euyY0fFiTu1Q_aem_xmSn2GipH90yON10AGU9Vg

So what system would you recommend? It's the people. I'd expect Mr Agbakoba to know that.

budaatum:


Perhaps he wants to be the king of Nigeria, or we should adopt China's one party rule.

Some people don't seem to understand that those countries have a system dictated by their history. If Nigeria adopts, say, the Yoruba way of choosing our leaders, one family will rule forever.

If one family rules forever, which would bring good governance for rest of the citizens, compare to turn by turn in which 95% of citizens are suffering.

Saudi Arabia, one family rulership.

RETURN THE COUNTRY BACK TO REGIONAL GOVERNMENT !!!!!!!!!!!

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO DO

Fiscus105:



If one family rule forever, which would bring good governance for rest of the citizens

No, it won't. In fact, things would be worse.

Maxymilliano:

https://dailytrust.com/agbakoba-nigerias-democracy-has-failed-we-must-explore-new-governance-models/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKZcJNjbGNrAplwj2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeGdRh6ab_Qp3xBFwcl4XGiEMknQJeHUsNpB97CfBjBmDuxi0euyY0fFiTu1Q_aem_xmSn2GipH90yON10AGU9Vg

Our democracy has not failed.

It’s ebilokan, Agbakoba’s friend who has failed and is recruiting compromised nonentities to say things that will distract us from his governance incompetence and cluelessness.

Who is going to buy this propaganda from Agbakoba

Deltafirstson:
Although the pump price of fuel was N197 when President Bola Tinubu took over on May 29, 2023, the product now sells for N617 per litre – less than two months after.

In his inaugural address, Tinubu announced that subsidy was gone, fulfilling a promise that all leading presidential candidates made during the campaign.

However, pump price of fuel hit N537 per litre days after Tinubu ended subsidy.

On Tuesday, the price climbed further to N617, a development that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) attributed to “market forces”.

Nigerians have been lamenting the hardship occasioned by fuel price hike. Amid the lamentation, a video where Tinubu campaigned to slash the price of fuel went into circulation.

Checks by Daily Trust affirmed the authenticity of the video ed on the YouTube page of Channels Television.

At his campaign rally in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on January 25, 2023, Tinubu spoke on a number of issues, but those of fuel scarcity and naira redesign made the headlines.

However, Tinubu who spoke in Yoruba language, also assured the crowd that though people were saying petrol price would hit N200, it would be reviewed downward under him.

“The great Nigerian youths, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youths. This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. They are plotting, but they will fail. They said fuel price will increase and reach N200 per litre. Go and relax, we will bring it down,” he had said in the 7th minute of the video.

King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, a Fuji musician who performed at the rally, interrupted the president’s speech with chants as the crowd cheered.

On the campaign podium with the president were Vice-President Kashim Shettima; Pa Bisi Akande, interim National Chairman of the APC; Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President; Senator Gbenga Daniel; among other bigwigs of the ruling party.

Tinubu went further to say Nigerians would defy the acute fuel scarcity at the time and trek to cast their votes.

“The great Nigerian youths, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youths. This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. They are plotting, but they will fail. They said fuel price will increase and reach N200/N500 per litre. Go and relax, we will crash the prices,” he had said.

https://dailytrust.com/breaking-video-of-tinubu-campaigning-to-crash-fuel-

he had said in the 7th minute of the video.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JH8CC_JdUA

There can never be meaningful development with this form of governance.

The country is too big for one person to rule. Break the country into 6 regions, each region having her own governor general that reports to the federal government.

Let each region make their own rules and law and develop at her own pace. Regional form of government will bring governance closer to the people.

How can same rule be governing people in sokoto, abakaliki, Ogbomosho, nembe, Maiduguri, kotangora. These people are not the same , they should be allowed to govern themselves even if hey will be in the same confederation.

Nigerians by colonialism

bodeyX:
RETURN THE COUNTRY BACK TO REGIONAL GOVERNMENT !!!!!!!!!!!

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO DO

This is a good idea.

tunjijones:
There can never be meaningful development with this form of governance

So which form would you recommend?

tunjijones:
There can never be meaningful development with this form of governance

Which alternative form of governance would you propose for meaningful development then

JuanDeDios:

So which form would you recommend?

We are Africans and we should practice our traditional ruling system. Where I come from, leadership starts from the family.

Unfortunately nobody is a Nigerian so as a nigerian you are designed to exist by the colonial system (military and democracy)

Maxymilliano:

“China is not democratic, but it works. They brought 900 million people out of poverty. In contrast, Nigeria continues to wallow in underdevelopment and inequality,” he said.

The question is why is China doing ok. No, it's not because they don't have democracy. The West has democracy and it's richer than China.