Jonathan urges reform of Nigeria’s democratic system

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for comprehensive reforms to Nigeria’s democratic system, describing current practices as opaque and amorphous and warning that the country may struggle to achieve meaningful development without institutional change.

Jonathan made the call on Saturday while delivering his address as Chairman of the Occasion at the Herbert Macaulay Memorial Colloquium in Lagos.

The former President said the nation’s democratic system must be reviewed to align with fundamental democratic principles, including popular participation, the rule of law, separation of powers, respect for human rights, judicial independence and accountability.

“We must review our opaque and amorphous democratic system and align it with the fundamental pillars of democracy.

“These include popular participation, the rule of law, separation of powers, respect for human rights, judicial independence, accountability, prudence and democratic governance.

“We must build a democracy supported by vibrant civil society institutions,” he said.

Jonathan said the country’s democratic practice lacked the institutional clarity required to promote sustainable development.

“What we are practising today, as political scientists here may agree, is difficult to define and understand. It is an amorphous democracy that lacks clear institutional character.

“Until we move away from this opaque and amorphous democratic practice, we may find it difficult to make the progress we desire,” he said.

He also identified reforming political recruitment processes as another critical requirement for national development, expressing concern that political leadership selection in Nigeria remained influenced by religion, ethnicity, language, and other considerations rather than competence.

Jonathan said the practice had persisted since the pre-independence era and continued to undermine the emergence of capable leaders who could drive national development.

“Our political recruitment process has been problematic, even from the pre-independence era.

“We are still suffering from a system in which political leaders are often selected based on religion, language, ethnicity and other considerations rather than competence, character and capacity.

“Sometimes, the challenge goes beyond the distinction between Muslims and Christians,” he said.

He cited a situation in a southern Nigerian state where, according to him, ethnic considerations could prevent qualified individuals from emerging as governor despite their competence.

The former President said Nigeria must abandon what he described as a primitive approach to recruiting political leaders to achieve meaningful progress.

Jonathan also called for greater investment in functional education, stressing the need for an educational system that can promote technological advancement, innovation, and knowledge creation.

He said Nigeria needed a clear vision for its educational institutions and deliberate policies to improve their capacity to prepare citizens for future development challenges.

“Education is critical. We cannot make meaningful progress with weak educational institutions.

“I did not have the opportunity of schooling abroad. I obtained all my degrees in Nigeria.

“Therefore, I am not suggesting that Nigerian universities are bad. That is not the issue,” he said.

Jonathan, however, said that despite excellent universities and capable academics, the country needed to improve the quality and effectiveness of its educational institutions.

He said the reforms were particularly important as Nigeria approached the centenary of its independence in 2060, urging leaders to develop a national development agenda with measurable objectives and clear responsibilities.

According to him, the country must use the next 34 years to address its structural weaknesses rather than allow another generation to inherit the same challenges.

“By 2060, Nigeria will celebrate 100 years of independence. That is about 34 years from now.

“A child born today will be about 34 years old when Nigeria marks its centenary of independence. These same questions will inevitably arise again.

“The question is: What kind of country will we be celebrating in 2060?” he asked.

Jonathan said Nigerians must decide whether the country will have overcome its present challenges by then or whether another generation will still be lamenting the same failures and unrealised aspirations.

He urged political leaders to provide direction through a well-established national vision, while public institutions, businesses and educational institutions must assume responsibilities for achieving national development objectives.

“These questions must not remain matters of academic debate. They should become the foundation of a national development agenda with clear objectives, measurable targets, timelines and identifiable responsibilities.

“Our political leaders must provide direction in line with a well-established national vision.

“Our public institutions must deliver efficiently. Our businesses must invest in productive capacity. Our educational institutions must prepare our people for the demands of the future,” he said.

The former President said Nigeria’s development challenges included leadership failures, institutional weaknesses, corruption, policy inconsistency, inadequate infrastructure, insecurity, and overdependence on exporting raw materials.

Comparing Nigeria’s development with countries such as South Korea, India and Singapore, he said the countries had recorded remarkable advances in industrialisation, technology, education, healthcare and human development.

Jonathan said Nigeria must translate its enormous human and natural resources into sustainable development and economic emancipation.

He also urged Nigerians to preserve the country’s history and the contributions of its founding nationalists, warning that a nation that forgot its history risked losing its identity and direction.

The ex-President described Macaulay as a man of remarkable intellect, courage, and conviction who distinguished himself as an engineer, surveyor, journalist, political activist, and public intellectual.

Jonathan said Macaulay was among the earliest voices to challenge colonial injustice and demand greater political participation and self-determination for Nigerians.

He said the nationalist’s vision and that of other founding fathers went beyond the transfer of political power from colonial authorities to indigenous leaders.

“Their ambition was to establish a sovereign country in which Nigerians would determine their own destiny, govern themselves, control their resources and deploy those resources for national development and the well-being of their citizens.

“They wanted a united country where people, irrespective of tribe, tongue, religion or background, would enjoy equal rights, dignity and opportunities.

“They also expected independence to bring economic emancipation, industrialisation, quality education, accessible healthcare, employment opportunities, social justice and a country capable of competing confidently among the nations of the world,” he said.

Jonathan said the greatest tribute to the founding nationalists would be to build a country that reflected the ideals for which they struggled.

He urged younger Nigerians to advance the nationalist struggle through innovation, enterprise, civic participation, responsible citizenship and accountability.

The former President commended Macaulay’s descendants for organising the colloquium, saying the initiative provided an opportunity to reflect on the country’s political history and responsibilities for nation building.

Earlier, Chief Olabode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Macaulay's cousin, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to return the property housing the General Post Office in Lagos to the family to establish a permanent memorial in honour of the nationalist.

George said the family was prepared to build a permanent memorial hall on the property to preserve Macaulay’s legacy and educate younger generations about his contributions to Nigeria.

He said the house where Macaulay lived was demolished after his death in 1946, while the General Post Office was subsequently built on the site.

Macaulay, born on Nov. 14, 1864, died in 1946, 14 years before Nigeria attained independence in 1960.