DEMOCRACY OR DEMOCRAZY, A SYNONYM OR A GAME OF NUMBERS?

Democracy has always been a game of numbers. The way that the numbers are used however stand it out as a failed democracy or a thriving one. Democracy has since been widely defined as the rule of the people by the people and for the interest of the people. The people being referred to are the majority of the people and not just a few. The majority carries the vote and where the opposite holds sway, one has to critically reexamine the nation’s operational values.

Looking closely at the Nigerian context, we seem to either be practicing an aberration of the fundamentals of democracy or deliberately abusing its application. Drawing from recent and recurring happenings, it seems that we might be lost in the synonym of democracy, popularly called democrazy by the late Fela Kuti connoting a demonstration of craziness.

At the start of the year and as a national New Year gift across board, the Federal Government announced a hike in the pump price of petrol, a product which is derived from our major source of income as a nation and puts us in ranking amongst the top ten producers of crude oil. Despite widespread protests across the nation, the government did not heed to the numbers and refused to revert to the initial pump price of petrol before the hike. In a strategic game of numbers, the price was reduced slightly which action some as considered as the intended negotiation point.

More recently in a newspaper report in Punch newspapers, it was stated that from a budget of N240 billion, fuel subsidy payments (defrauding Nigerians for government’s inefficiency in not making our refineries work) took a gigantic leap to a sum ten times more to about N2.4 trillion. With our legislators (who have done very little by way of meaningful legislation) earning what represents 25 percent of our national budget, one wonders what is left for national and economic development after corruption has taken its share. It is once again a game of numbers.

Despite the woeful performance of the nation’s present youths in WAEC and NECO exams, one can see across board that of the 150 million people (our actual figure we still do not know because there has been a game of numbers with the census figures), the people that would represent a hindrance to our nation’s development would not be up to 5million, a very generous figure to say the least. 

How come then, that in the true spirit of democracy the aspiration of these few people overrides that of the 145 million? I beg your pardon? Maybe we are all profiting from the “system”. Maybe we all have relatives that diet on the national cake. Maybe Abuja is so far from the enlightened masses that can put up a fight and say no to the demonstration of craziness. Maybe everyone is so tolerant or people are comfortable and tend to adjust at every point in time. 

They adapt to change but cannot change and become change agents. Maybe. Just maybe because even in the analysis of the maybes we have been playing with numbers whilst others have been working tirelessly playing against us. 

The President, who seems not to be presiding over the nation’s affairs made allusion to a “cabal”. One hopes that the companies found guilty of sharp practices as revealed in the fuel subsidy report would at least be “uncabalised” so that the percentage impact of the nation’s budget would at least make sense for the greater percentage of Nigerians with the specific permission of corruption. 

It seems the cabal is made up just a few numbers. Why haven’t we done something about just the few who have messed things up for the much more significant in numbers? And some public officers seem just to be representing or misrepresenting themselves. Someone said he collected money and not bribe. Alas, the game has shifted from numbers, now it is even words!

Can we not all refuse to go to work, march to the local, state and federal government offices and hold down our feet till our numbers are respected and indeed hold sway? Maybe we are still calculating what we might lose temporarily (maybe a month’s pay or income or a few others) whilst we lose much more by keeping quiet and allowing undeserving individuals number our voices as too insignificant whilst their little presence is more deserving.

 You might be asking. How many people are in the security forces? Are they up to 10 million? Can they stand 135 million people? How many people will opt out maybe 80 million, but cant 55 million people drive out bad leadership and foster better change than was recorded in driving out Gaddafi or bringing in Obama into the forefront of American political office? Is it not possible? It very much is. Can our refineries work? I say a big yes. It happens not too far from us in the same Africa. Can we have 24 hours power supply? Can we have educational and health institutions that are standard and reliable? Yes and many more numbers of yes. 

It just depends on the numbers that you are looking at. The numbers of people that stand up to say no to what is wrong and yes to what is right. No to what is obtainable and yes to what is possible. It just depends which group you want to belong. The desire for positive change is still very high and that desire is recruiting change agents across board. The question just remains “Will you stand up to be numbered?”