Ezekwesili launches #FixPolitics initiative to bolster Nigeria’s democracy

In a bid to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s unpopular system of governance as well as the poor state of its economic development, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a one-time presidential candidate, working with a team of like-minds, has unveiled #FixPolitics.

At a virtual media briefing on Wednesday, Ezekwesili said the initiative was the research effort she carried out on the thesis, #FixPolitics Research, noting that what makes a good democracy are sound politics, strong institutions and effective priority of investment.

According to her, a structural problem will require a structural solution if Nigeria’s democracy is to be made better.

She explained that the #FixPolitics Research was a result of her quest to understand the nexus between Africa’s economic performance and its politics.

Ezikwesil said, “The failure of the country’s variance of politics and public leadership inherently subverts public good and places their personal and narrow interest above the collective wellbeing of the citizens.

“In the light of the above, whether in 2020 or 2060, nothing about Nigeria can change without a transformation of its politics.”

She noted that in a democratic setting, three entities were involved: the regulator, made up of the country’s constitution and electoral laws; the supply side, made up of the politicians and political parties; and the demand side, where you have the electorate.

She added, “Although the Politicians may be numerous and belong to different parties, their commonality of Incentive and Disincentives to which they respond to or ignore is akin to the features of a Monopolistic market.”

The fact that a monopolistic democracy cannot correct itself because it lacks the incentive and disincentive to yield its discretionary dominant control, the citizens have to rise up to the occasion, according to Ezekwesili, necessitated #FixPolitics concept.

“Therefore, in the absence of an effective regulatory system and corrective mechanisms that can cut the powers of a monopolistic political class in any democracy, a few citizens must step up, take responsibility and mobilize the #OfficeOfTheCitizen to structurally transform their political system.

“Monopolistic democracy identified in my #FixPolitics research is not about the number of political parties in Nigeria or elsewhere. It is about the dominant political culture at play,” she argued.

She stressed that only Nigerians, working together, can compel the government to respond urgently and avert the imminent collapse of the nation into a failed state.

Commenting on the initiative, Frank Nweke ll said, “There is no business that is more important than politics and government in any country, any society in the world. That is the anchor for everything. If you get your governance right, if you get your politics right that means you are going to advance in a measurable way and in an unpredictable manner.”

He added that the electorate must be empowered if the country wants to get its democratic system right, stating, “We believe we are going to educate them on matters of development. We need to educate them on matters of their right.

“We need to encourage them to find their voice and we are going to help them find that voice through the kind of compelling contents we are going to be sharing on matters of development, voting, and demanding accountability.”

Ehime Alex
Ehime Alex
Ehime Alex reports the Capital Market, Energy, and ICT. He is a skilled webmaster and digital media enthusiast.

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