27 Years of Democracy and We Are Still Begging for Light

President Tinubu addressed the nation on Friday to mark 27 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, and he said all the right things about strengthening democracy, reducing inflation, and fighting insecurity. But let us be honest with ourselves. The same speech could have been given in 1999, or 2009, or 2019. The words change, the names change, but the reality remains the same. We are still grappling with bandits taking school children in Oyo, Borno, and Kogi. We are still feeling the sting of fuel subsidy removal with no cushion in sight.

I read the piece by Davidson Iriekpen, and one line stood out to me. He wrote that many Nigerians are surprised that 27 years after, citizens have continued to grapple with massive insecurity, severe economic hardship, soaring inflation, and poverty. But I am not surprised. I am disappointed. Because we fought for this democracy. We lost people under Abacha. We ran overseas to avoid being killed. And what do we have to show for it? An executive that is clueless and manipulative, a legislature that rubber-stamps everything, and a judiciary that is still finding its feet. That is not democracy. That is a diarchy in disguise.

My father used to tell me that in 1979, he believed the Second Republic would change things. He was wrong. Now I am in my 40s, and I am watching my own children grow up in a country where the price of rice and garri has doubled in two years, where you cannot travel the Ibadan-Lagos road without fear of kidnappers. The president says we must unite against terrorism. I agree. But unity starts with accountability. When will we hold our leaders to the same standard we hold ourselves? Am I the only one that thinks 27 years is long enough to have something better than this?