Postgraduate students reflect on Nigeria’s democracy
May 29 marks Democracy Day in Nigeria, a national holiday commemorating the return of civilian rule to the nation after 16 years of military rule with the election of former military head of state Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. As the previous post notes, D-Day is also set-aside as the swearing-in day for democratically elected officials. For all the problems plaguing Nigeria’s nascent democracy, the 2011 election proceedings marked a critical step forward in the political evolution of the country. Indeed, it seems that democracy is here to stay.
For these reasons, perhaps, political discourse has been enlivened, especially within the nation’s institutions of higher education and among students in particular. As you may know, student political practices is the focus of my dissertation research, so I’ve paid close attention to political conversations among students during this election season, which finally reached its denouement this past weekend. At the Tafawa Balewa Postgraduate Hall in the University of Ibadan where I reside, on 30 May, graduate students participated in a lively discussion on Nigeria’s democracy and the challenges facing its development.
Here’s a brief summary of some of the contributions, which offer some insight into student political discourse and ideas:
- Cash Rules Everything: Two residents shared stories of how their efforts to contest in local politics were frustrated by “money politics.” Without big money (or deep-pocketed patrons), aspirants are unlikely to succeed. Due to the significant investment contesting an election entails, the average politician is only interested in seeing a return on their investment and “chopping money” rather than leading. And, as long as money reigns supreme, there is little encouragement for politicians to be socially responsible.
- Women in politics: The noticeable absence of women from political office sparked a debate as to why women are underrepresented, even despite incentives from parties such as the ruling PDP, which was said to offer women a free ticket to contest. Though some were of the opinion that there were not enough “credible” women candidates, others attributed their absence to both cultural context (politics seen as the terrain of men) and the perception of politics as “dirty”and “bloody,” which deterred women from entering such “do-or-die” affairs. With time and a more conducive atmosphere, it was suggested that more women would begin to enter and find success in the political sphere.
