Democracy is bleeding and we are just clapping for June 12

Dr. Esther Nkem Okereke, the NRM presidential candidate, came out yesterday in Abuja and said what many of us are thinking but afraid to say aloud — Nigeria's democracy is bleeding. She said over 100 million Nigerians are living in poverty, that the vote you cast with hope sometimes disappears on the way, and that the profit a trader makes is consumed by inflation before the day ends. That is not politics, that is our daily reality from Kano to Lagos.

She paid tribute to MKO Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, Gani Fawehinmi and Beko Ransom-Kuti, but she warned that remembering June 12 without taking concrete action is a betrayal of their sacrifice. She said, "They did not die for speeches; they died for a Nigeria where a child can learn without fear, a mother can access healthcare with dignity, and a young person can find work without connections." That hit me because it is true — we celebrate democracy day every year but the suffering keeps increasing.

Now she has this ESTHER Agenda focusing on energy, education, security, jobs and transparency. She promised to make federal contracts public using technology to fight corruption. But my question is simple — after 27 years of democracy, why should we still be begging for basic things like light and security? Be honest, are we really celebrating democracy or just celebrating the fact that we are not under military rule?