#DemocracyDay2020: How President Muhammadu Buhari Has Fared (1)

By Akinleye Segun and Kindness Udoh

The story of June 12, now known as Democracy Day in Nigeria, would not be complete without mentioning the name of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola and President Muhammadu Buhari. How Buhari came to be associated with June 12, as a protagonist, despite serving under General Sani Abacha, the late dictator who jailed Abiola, is another testament to the wrong done the late Aare Onakankanfo of Yoruba land, the Yoruba race, and Nigeria as a whole.

In years to come, when the story of June 12 is told for the umpteenth time, the Yorubas will pray for Buhari, for having the courage to do what Olusegun Obasanjo, a fellow Yoruba man, and a two-term president failed to do - recognising MKO Abiola as the true hero of democracy in Nigeria and declaring June 12 as democracy day.

Abiola's courageous act, losing his life in defence of his stolen mandate, gave birth to the return of democracy in 1999. From 1999 to date, Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari have all steered the affairs of the nation as presidents. The perceived failures of one president, term limit, or death, led to the emergence of another, till Nigeria has President Muhammadu Buhari at the helm of affairs.

MKO Abiola

In his June 12 Democracy Day broadcast, president Buhari listed his achievements in office, what the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has swiftly described as "rhetoric, apathetic, and largely, a promissory note."

Having served his first term in office and won a second term, albeit controversially, AllNews Nigeria takes a microscopic look at the one-year scorecard of his second term in office.

Human Rights And Respect For The Rule Of Law

Democracy has taken on a different shape under the Buhari administration, almost becoming nonexistent, with the rule of law taking a back seat in governmental procedures.

The Buhari administration is not one to accommodate a dissenting voice, blazing the trail for others to follow the undemocratic path and scorch the earth where dissenting voices prevail.

A report by pressattack.ng shows that in the year 2018 alone, over 58 members of the press have been attacked, while in 2019, 61 journalists faced harassment.

The whereabouts of Abubakar Idris, a government critic, popularly known as Dadiyata abducted since August 1, 2019, is still a mystery with the silence of the authorities deafening on the issue.

Sowore and the Department of State Service (DSS) saga is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. Who could forget former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, in a hurry? Though he is a 'free' man, it took the intervention of the international communities before he was released on bail after the DSS ignored several court orders, including that of the court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to set him free.  

A report by the US Department of State titled "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017" states, "Impunity remained widespread at all levels of government. The government did not adequately investigate or prosecute most of the major outstanding allegations of human rights violations by the security forces or the majority of cases of police or military extortion or other abuse of power," the recently released report stated.

"Authorities generally did not hold police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or the deaths of persons in custody. State and federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths generally did not make their findings public. In August, the acting president convened a civilian-led presidential investigative panel to review compliance of the armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement. As of November, the panel had not issued a report."

All of these are still the realities of Nigerians who yearn for a time when their voices won't be drowned out; their rights won't be trampled upon by elected government officials who act with Impunity, whose integrities have been compromised and eroded by their egotistic ambitions propped up by sycophants who would contort themselves into any shape to justify the evil acts that would naturally be blamed under a truly democratic system.

Increasing Insecurity

A statement from the Human Rights Watch (HRW), best describes the current security state in the country. HRW wrote, "Across the country, an atmosphere of insecurity persists with resurging lethal attacks by at least two Boko Haram factions in the northeast; communal violence between nomadic herdsmen and farmers spreading southward from north-central states; and the increasing spate of banditry, kidnapping, and general criminality especially in northwestern states of Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara."

Recently, residents of Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, took to the streets to protest the continuous attacks from bandits. That, in itself, is an indictment that all is not well security-wise with Nigeria, despite the rhetorics of the president.

The calls to replace the service chiefs have been ignored, despite the expiration of the tenure. The increasing attacks are another pointer that fresh perspective needs to be employed if Nigeria will win the war.

To Be Continued…