Dr Abdulmumeen Yinka Ajia, an Associate Professor at University of Missouri, United States, says Nigeria needs to practice democracy the appropriate way to be able to enjoy its dividends.
Ajia said the country’s problem is not the adoption of the western style of democracy, but our violation of it.
According to him, democracy has been in practice and successfully adopted in the old Oyo Empire and the Eastern region even before the arrival of the white me.
He made this known on Wednesday during an interactive session with members of the Association of Kwara State Online Media Practitioners.
The former Governorship candidate in Kwara stated that the major challenge is how Nigerian leaders violates the tenets of democracy to suit their selfish interests.
The Associate Professor noted that ever since the inception of democratic process in Nigeria, only the military Govt has been able to conduct a free and fair election.
“All the elections conducted by the civilians govt have always flopped and are full of irregularities, and this is attributed to our Leaders selfishness” he added.
He admonished Nigerian leaders beyond sentiments and selfishness to adhere strictly to proper democratic process to strengthen our democracy.
Analysing some of the ways to strengthen our democracy while citing Kwara State as a case study, Dr. Ajiya said “we must not continue to shy away from the truth. The development of the state starts from the grassroots but the condition of our local government areas is appalling.
“We have given Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq enough time to plan on how to conduct the local government elections but I think he has not been doing that. So, we need to remind him.
While commending the Governor for making significant progress over the years, He noted that the Gov still have a long way to go to make Kwara of our dreams a possibility.
Dr Ajia also emphasize on the importance of continuity to foster development, He made a case on how former Kwara Central Senator, Sen. Yahaya Oloriegbe has been able to set the bar for the people of Kwara Central during his tenure.
“Sen. Oloriegbe has set the bar so high, it’s my wish that Sen Saliu Mustapha will continue the good work in that fit” He said.
He charges the Kwara Central Senator to use his office to facilitate industries in Agricultural sectors, helping the less privileged, human capital development and create opportunities for young people.
He suggested ideas on agricultural produce to be engaged on like soyabean, cashew productions which can also be a great source of generating revenue and creating job opportunities for thousands of young people.
The Associate Professor mentioned that if he develops an interest in contesting again, his main priorities will be providing proper guidance to the youth, ensuring they receive a quality education, implementing policies that empower them, and being a supportive partner to help them become productive and empowered individuals instead of exploiting them.