The spirit of democracy and its enemies, By Obadiah Mailafia

Days have characters of their own. Some are lively, cheery and sunny; others are dull and desultory. Saturday, June 12, was Democracy Day in Nigeria. It had this rather mournful and dreary feel about it. Rumours were rife that sleeping cells of well-armed Janjaweed mercenaries would be unleashed on an unarmed and defenceless populace. Mercifully, […]

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Revisiting ‘Democracy and Dictatorship’, By Edwin Madunagu

Let us begin by quickly recalling two bits of Nigeria’s recent history. First, at the close of 1983, a military junta overthrew and supplanted the elected civilian government of Shehu Shagari, the first and only president of Nigeria’s Second Republic (1979-1983). Then, early in 1985, in the second year of the new military regime, which […]

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The Shadow of Illiberal Democracy, By Chidi Amuta

As Nigerian politicians jostle for winning pedestals, an outlandish reality has sneaked into town. The country is sliding from an opportunity to build liberal democracy towards an Illiberal democracy and, I am afraid, even an outright populist autocracy. The signs are now abundant: the personalization of security institutions, an assault on the legislative branch, a […]

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