Nigerians stand strong in the fight for Democracy
All eyes are on the continent's largest Democratic nation on a historic Election Day
When the mainstream media looks at African nations, they see chaos, confusion, poverty, and war – but I see potential.
I see hope amidst anger and anxiety on a continent torn apart by colonization, corruption, and special interests, but refusing to give up.
Nigeria tops that list.
Located on the western edge of Africa, bordered by the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria has long been a dichotomy of Democracy and authoritarianism, but today that could all change as voters head to the polls in droves with the hopes of ushering in a new era for a beleaguered country plagued with corruption, civil unrest, and infighting between warring factions.
The name on the tip of voters’ tongues is Peter Obi. The progressive businessman has energized the youth and given hope to those growing tired of the cronyism and politics that have led to two-thirds of the country’s population living in poverty, and nearly half of the Nigerian millennials unemployed.
How it began…
In 2015, outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan handed over the reins he held since 2010 to incoming President Muhammadu Buhari. A member of the People’s Democratic Party, Jonathan succeeded the popular Umaru Musah Yar’Adua, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 58 from pericarditis – in Saudi Arabia just three years after taking office.
Then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, along with delegates from the Obama administration, was on hand for the passing of the torch from Jonathan to Yar’Adua.
Armed with a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a master’s in hydrobiology, Jonathan’s tenure as President was clouded by allegations of corruption.
The son of a canoe maker, the former Vice President was accused of skimming money from the country’s oil revenue along with Nigeria’s former oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
In a London case involving one of the world’s largest oil reserves, attorneys for the Nigerian government accused Jonathan and Alison-Madueke of plotting to “receive bribes and make a secret profit.”
According to the court filing, “the receipt of those bribes and the participation in the scheme of said officials was in breach of their fiduciary duties and Nigerian criminal law.” – Council on Foreign Relations
Jonathan’s successor, Buhari, ran on an anti-corruption platform – unseating the presidential incumbent in 2015, and winning re-election in 2019.
But Buhari is Fulani, and as anyone should know – Fulani and democracy don’t mix.
In 1980, Buhari successfully led a military coup of the Second Nigerian Republic – a multi-party democratic system implemented after over a decade of authorial military rule.
The new administration ushered in a series of “law and order” decrees that instituted a strict system of obedience
and compliance to solidify Nigerian society’s return to “public morality and civic responsibility.”
His glory, however, would be short-lived.
Just two years later, Buhari’s regime was overthrown by yet another coup d’état. After which he was incarcerated in Benin City for three years.
Militants across the country have terrorized citizens, in an attempt to quash dissent for what has been seen as undiplomatic and terrorist rule by the Fulani. The militant Islamic group Boko Haram has been a catalyst for radicalization among the populace.
Founded in 2002 by Sunni Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, the terrorist organization is responsible for the displacement of over 2 million Nigerians and the deaths of 300,000 children.
A New Hope…
Despite the domestic terror, high poverty, and record unemployment among the youth, the Nigerian people remain steadfast and strong in their resolve to see their country free.
Leader of the indigenous Biafran people, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu – the British-Nigerian responsible for the push to establish an independent Biafra state separate from the colonized African nation – mobilized the disenfranchised and marginalized community despite the increased crackdown on dissent from the current government.
Kanu founded the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in 2014 with the hopes of restoring the nation to the independence it shared before Great Britain interfered.
Biafra declared its independence in 1967, leading to a 2.5-year war that claimed the lives of upwards of 2 million Nigerians from starvation that the war perpetuated – at least 100,000 military deaths were recorded.
The inspirational leader, who holds dual citizenship with the U.K., was arrested in Kenya nearly two years ago in a suspect operation where the activist was reportedly arrested by Interpol and extradited to Nigeria where Kanu was promptly arrested and detained.
Cue Peter Obi…
With over 200 million citizens, the continent’s largest democracy is ready to embark on a new era – and the Nigerian people are here for it.
Marred by an increase in police brutality, the disgruntled and disenfranchised have latched onto Obi’s promises for a better tomorrow. The wealthy businessman has campaigned as an anti-establishment candidate ready to take on political corruption and restore hope to Nigeria.
Despite having some of the world’s most precious oil reserves, the poverty rate in Nigeria hovers at nearly 60%.
A member of the Labour Party, Obi launched a failed bid as the running mate to the People’s Democratic Party 2019 candidate, Atiku Abubakar. But it wouldn’t be long before the ambitious politician defected to the lesser-known Labour Party in the current presidential race.
Popular with the youth, approximately 70% of Nigerians are under 30 – with an astounding 40% being unemployed.
According to the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, over 12 million had registered to vote during a one-month voter registration push between June - July 2021, with the youth vote comprising 71% of those registered.
Campaigning on reducing government corruption, and waste, and reducing skyrocketing inflation, Obi has touched a nerve among a population that has grown frustrated with broken promises, and broken dreams of a prosperous and equitable future.
Nigerian Twitter was filled with messages of hope and inspiration as citizens withstood long lines, fears of a rigged election, and an unquenchable faith that Obi’s election will be a fresh start to righting the wrongs of past administrations and setting the country and its people on a path to economic parity.
Editor Mark Leon Goldberg credited Obi’s popularity to the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 after the world watched unarmed George Floyd be suffocated for nearly minutes by a Minneapolis, MN police officer before drawing his final breath.
Goldberg's attempts to equate Nigeria’s endSARS movement to BLM drew criticism from the country’s citizens who felt it was dismissive of the plight of the nation’s youth and insert America into a narrative that doesn’t belong to the western world superpower.
The hashtag #EndSARS was started in 2017 in protest of police brutality in the African nation. But it wouldn’t be until five months after the world watched Floyd’s murder by law enforcement that protests would take center stage in solidarity.
“Obi's surging poll numbers is largely due to his support among young people (under the age of 34) who have registered to vote in record numbers in recent months,” Goldberg tweeted in January. “In 2020 many thousands of Nigerian youth took to the streets in historic protests against police brutality. The movement was called #EndSARS and very much drew inspiration from BLM,” he added.
While Floyd’s death may have reignited the fight, it was by no means the sole reason for increased protests in Nigeria – as many Twitter users pointed out.
Democracy around the world is in jeopardy, and it’s more evident than ever. With its resource-rich environment and highly educated population, Nigeria – despite its problems – has long been a bellwether when it comes to politics, democracy, and lack thereof on the continent.
After nearly a decade and a half of military dictatorship, the Nigerian people have had a taste for democracy – and they want to keep it.
The world is watching right now. From Africa to Eastern Europe, the fight for sovereignty, democracy, and autonomy rages on. The results of Nigeria’s much-anticipated election will have far-reaching consequences across the globe – potentially positive, or potentially negative depending on what side of the democratic aisle you sit on.
As the United States has compromised its standing on the world stage, democracies around the world have become vulnerable to authoritarian and totalitarian forces no longer looking over their shoulder’s for what was at one time the world leader in democracy.
But Nigerians are motivated, and nothing is more powerful than the human spirit. Resilience, patience, and tenacity are key to making change. The resounding support of Obi by a significant portion of the country’s population is confirmation that the world isn’t done with democracy yet. It’s just getting started.
If elected, Obi will be the first Ibo President to take office in the 24 years since Nigeria returned to Democracy. The youngest of his opponents, Peter Obi’s supporters – OBIdients as they’ve coined themselves – are poised to embark on a new, democratic, and equitable future for the country’s majority youth population.