Nigeria is better off under military rule -Donald Duke

Former governor of Cross River State, and presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) Donald Duke, has argued that Nigeria’s situation is better under military rule, than in the last 27 years of democracy.

He lamented that successive civilian governments since 1999 had failed to deliver meaningful improvements in the lives of citizens.

The Duke made the remarks in an interview in Abuja on Sunday, where he questioned the detrimental impact of governance under the current democratic system and whether the system has provided enough benefits for the Nigerian people.

“Today’s society, in my opinion, is better off under the military,” he said. “At least government isn’t too expensive.”

The former governor said Nigeria’s democracy should be judged primarily on its impact on the welfare of citizens rather than the existence of democratic institutions.

According to him, many of the challenges the country faced before the return of civilian rule in 1999 have still not been resolved, some are even getting worse.

“I’m talking broadly now. If we focus on the welfare of the people, what we call the dividend of democracy, how much has been achieved?” he asked.

“The problems we face are still the same as 27 years ago. This problem is getting worse. The number of children dropping out of school is not increasing; it is getting worse. The health care system is not improving; it is getting worse.

“The lack of infrastructure over the last 27 years—are we better off? The question is: are we better off now than we were in 1999? Hardly. Hardly.”

Duke identified electricity, unemployment and infrastructure as some of the long-standing challenges that civilian governments have failed to adequately address.

“The problems that existed before 1999—electricity, unemployment—are still there. And I don’t see any structured approach to dealing with these problems,” he said.

He also expressed concern about the value of citizens’ votes, and said that voters’ perceived inability to influence government had encouraged politicians to ignore the needs of voters.

“Because your vote doesn’t matter, there’s a tendency to take advantage of society and ignore what society is asking for,” Duke said.