Obasanjo decries democracy’s decline in Africa

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has raised concerns over the state of democracy across Africa, stating that it has strayed from its intended purpose.

Speaking at the 60th birthday celebration of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, in Abuja on Monday, March 24, Obasanjo lamented that democracy originally meant to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has been distorted to serve the interests of a privileged few.

He noted that, in the past, leadership was centered on service to all, but the trend has shifted as African leaders now practice what he described as “representative democracy,” where power is concentrated in the hands of a privileged minority.

“Democracy is meant to be a system of government that delivers and delivers to all the people not just a section of the people, not just a few.

“But what we have today, I believe since we’ve gone past the Greek democracy which brought everybody to the square and everybody has a say in the decision making which affects everybody. Democracy have now become representative democracy. And representative democracy has not taken care of everybody.

“Today we have democracy, which is government of small number of people by small number of people over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life,” Obasanjo said.

The former president stated that it has also become clear that democracy is not Africa because it does not represent the aspect of the continent’s culture or its way of life.

Obasanjo also said that leaders are no longer concerned about the people who they have been elected to serve but what they can grab from leadership positions which they occupy.

“Now that is not democracy that will endure, so if you are talking of democracy failing in Africa. Democracy in Africa has failed. and why has it failed?

“Because it didn’t have any context. It is not African, it does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe, Unbutu – I am because we are; it is now, I am because I can grab,” he added.