The Failed Nigeria Democracy Day

What Are We Really Celebrating?

June 12 is celebrated as Nigeria’s “Democracy Day.” But what exactly are we celebrating? Is it
the right to vote every four years in a system that has already decided the winner? Is it the
freedom to speak until you say something the state doesn’t like? Is it the independence we
earned in 1960, only to be spiritually recolonized by London and Washington in what looks like
an endless regime for them?

The False Democracy We Practice

Listen, Nigeria calls itself a democratic state, but what is democracy if the people do not have a
say as to who rules them? Instead, we have an unfair, fragile, scripted performance whereby a
recycled ruling party rules while all we can do as the people is watch.
From 1960 till now, isn’t it clear that democracy hasn’t favored the country? Why? Because
Nigeria has been run by a small cartel of elites who happen to be blessed by the West,
protected by their military and thuggish weapons and lubricated by oil money. This is not
democracy. This is a dictatorship happening right under our nose.

Today, being the 12th of June, is another democracy day. But before we listen to another
speech based on charades and propaganda from the government about “sacrifices that have
been made for democracy,” let us tell ourselves the truth: Nigeria is not a democratic nation. It is
a post-colonial corporate project where the citizens are assets, not owners. And no matter how
many INEC logos you print, a rigged system will never birth a free people.

How Fake Independence Was Engineered

And in case you’re wondering what we mean when we say Nigeria went from being a colonized
country to a democratic country under British control, let’s start from the beginning and break it
down for proper understanding.
Nigeria became “independent” on October 1, 1960, and even though it appeared very real, the
foundations that guaranteed that independence were faulty from the start.
What do I mean?

The British, in their usual divide-and-rule genius, created a forced marriage between over 250
ethnic groups, drawing lines that served London while Nigerians felt it was for the good of
Lagos. The British also handed over political power to those they could control, and these were
mostly conservative elites from the North. The question then is, if they really stood for us to be
independent, why did they suppress nationalist agitators like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi
Awolowo, and Ahmadu Bello into playing managed roles and not major roles in our political
affairs?

I hope we realize that the announced freedom in 1960 didn’t guarantee us freedom if you ask
me. Maybe it did on the papers. But internally, Britain still continued to control.
Why do I say this? The British built a parliamentary system rigged in favor of whoever could
keep the North, East and West submissive, contained, and distracted. Because since
colonization, the greatest weapon they know how to wield over us is distraction.

Shortly after this system was birthed, it was met with immediate resistance, like the coup of
1966. We saw that the same British people watched our country fall into the civil war that lasted
from 1967–1970. They didn’t interfere because they profited from arms sales to both sides and
ensured oil kept flowing from the Niger Delta uninterrupted.

The Hand That Pulls the Strings

So what happens to the supposed “democracy” when everything that goes on in the country
looks like a foreign-designed plan? Our elections are without accountability, our constitutions are
written in British ink, and even our governance is centered around politicians seeking to please
former colonial masters in exchange for aid, loans, and weapons.

The military years solidified our silence further. If we check between 1966 and 1999, we’ll find
out that Nigeria was largely under military rule even though it was disguised as civilian
leadership. Every coup that ruled continued to promise a restoration of democracy. Starting from
men like General Aguiyi Ironsi in ‘66 to General Ibrahim Babangida in the ‘80s, and finally Sani
Abacha, who eventually turned Nigeria into a silent prison.

During this period, the West remained quiet, often even empowering the regime of these
Generals with weapons and oil contracts thereby trampling the country’s human rights. They
jailed journalists who dared speak up, and they murdered strong opposers like Ken Saro-Wiwa
in cold blood. Where was the democratic value from the people to choose who rules over them
then? It was nowhere

June 1

A Taste of True Democracy

June 12, 1993, was the day Nigerians actually tasted real democracy when MKO Abiola, a
Southern Muslim won the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history. But the military junta
led by Babangida annulled the results. Why? Because Abiola wasn’t the West’s (British) man.
He wasn’t their puppet. He wanted to use Nigeria’s oil wealth to serve Nigerians.

What did America and Britain do? They issued mild statements of “concern” while doing
business as usual. The military arrested MKO in 1994, and he died mysteriously in 1998, just
weeks before his expected release. He never ruled. He never saw the democracy he died for.

Mind you, June 12 Democracy Day was officially made to honor Moshood Kashimawo Olawale
(MKO) Abiola. But no, June 12 was not originally recognized by the Nigerian state and the move
to make it democracy day came decades later under political pressure.

Let me explain…
From 1999 to 2018, Nigeria celebrated May 29 as Democracy Day which marked the day when
military rule ended and Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as president. However, many believed
this was hypocritical, because it ignored the real democratic struggle of June 12, 1993.

Then in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler himself, suddenly declared
June 12 as the new Democracy Day, posthumously honoring MKO Abiola with the title of GCFR
(Grand Commander of the Federal Republic) which was an honor usually reserved for
presidents.

The Politics Behind the Gesture
But why the sudden change?
This was because Buhari was under intense criticism over his own anti-democratic behaviors
which made him have multiple press crackdowns, election violence, and even led him to arrest
some opposition figures.

So, Buhari declaring June 12 as Democracy Day was nothing but a political move to gain
goodwill from the South-West (especially Yoruba voters) and to reposition himself as a
“protector of democracy”, despite his military past.
But the truth remains that the democracy MKO Abiola died for has still not been delivered to the
people till today.

They released Olusegun Obasanjo from prison and handpicked him to become president in
1999, and it appeared as though democracy officially returned. But in reality, it was the military
just changing uniforms. Those who ran the barracks began running the ballot boxes. Obasanjo,
a former general, handed over to Yar’Adua, who died mysteriously. Power shifted to Goodluck
Jonathan, who was politricked by Muhammadu Buhari, another general, in 2015. But all these
events unfolded under the watch of foreign powers and oil interests.

Today, we are ruled by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man whose political empire was built on control of
Lagos and a secretive network of influence across Nigeria. Tinubu was not elected because
Nigerians were free. Powerful actors bought INEC, bullied the judiciary, and bribed the media.
And the U.S. and U.K.? They rushed to congratulate him. Did they congratulate him because he
won fairly? Definitely not. They congratulated him because he was the perfect candidate who
would be stable enough to continue foreign trade, security cooperation, and oil flow.

A Country Managed Like a Company

So if you ask who really rules Nigeria today, it’s a simple question to answer. But first, in order to
understand the Nigeria of today, you must follow the money. This is because Democracy in
Nigeria is funded externally, protected militarily, and rewarded diplomatically. You must
understand that Democracy in Nigeria today has nothing to do with Nigerians, but by Western
governments and multinational corporations.

Nigeria is not a sovereign democracy. It is a resource outpost with a national anthem where our
elections look like mere auditions to see who can manage the Nigerian plantation best. But the
real rulers are foreign embassies, oil corporations, local political godfathers, and intelligence
networks that dictate who gets arms and aid.
So, What Are We Celebrating?

Democracy in all its essence is not supposed to be just about elections, but about justice that
works, leaders who listen to their citizens, rights that are protected, and having an institution that
is stronger than any man in the country.

But Nigeria has none of these. The courts in Nigeria are scared. Lawmakers are often bought.
When it comes to the press, it is either jailed, silenced, or compromised. Police now train to
crush protests, not protect them. Meanwhile, leaders live in fortresses, while millions die in
flooded streets and broken hospitals.

We have a democracy that is quick to arrest journalists like Agba Jalingo, ban X (formerly called
Twitter) because it hurt the president’s ego, abduct activists from foreign countries like Nnamdi
Kanu, kill unarmed citizens like at Lekki Toll Gate, and bribe voters with Naira notes in front of
polling booths.

In light of all these, the question goes again, what are we really celebrating on June 12? Are we
celebrating a lie? Are we celebrating the recycling of old thieves in the name of our leaders? Or
are we celebrating our ability to vote in a game where the results have already been decided
without our permission? What are we truly celebrating?
Think about it.