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It is almost a fairly common thing to find Nigerians who scornfully refer to Nigeria as a mere geographical expression. It is believed that this notion must have taken root from the instance when Lord Frederick Lugard strung together diverse ethnic groups and officially named it Nigeria.

Many Nigerians also tend to just see the name ‘Nigeria’ as a complex mix of diverse ethnic groups who are either in fierce competition or sometimes find it incredibly hard to peacefully co-exist. It is in such desperation and dejection that such citizens become pessimistic about the nature of the “so-called” democracy we practice.

According to Differencebetween.net, a feudal state or society is that which has three distinct social classes a king, a noble class which could comprise aristocrats, priests, and princes) and a peasant class; while democracy can be said to the governance by a people which involves less of social class differences.

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It is no longer news that the Nigerian Middle class has shrunk to less than 10% of the population. The peasant population is also now the highest in the world standing at about 100 million people who live below the poverty line. As the absence of the Middle Class is a major characteristic of a feudalist state, the gradual decimation of the Nigerian middle class could signify a gradual descent into a feudalist state.

For those who may still be in doubt as to Nigeria’s feudalist status in reality – if only 35% of registered voters turned out to vote and succeeded in electing a leadership into government, it raises questions as to whether a majority of the 200 million population have actually had their say in the society. Looking at the 2019 General Elections alone, the winner of the presidential elections, President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to have been elected with 15,191,847 votes, that is less than 10% of the total Nigerian population. This scenario has lots of implications, one of the most obvious is that there has been lesser participation by citizens in the manner of how power is distributed and resources are allocated. 

Incidentally, it can be deduced that the gradual disinterest of the people in the matter of national or local affairs is slowly drawing the country towards a feudalist state faster than democracy is evolving and improving in Nigeria. An extreme argument is that democracy may not be the best option of governance ideal for a deeply multi-cultural society like Nigeria, yet evidence abound that the short time when a parliamentary and regional mode of democracy was practised in Nigeria from 1960 until the coup of January 1966 was one of Nigeria’s most prosperous and accomplished periods in its history.

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We may go on and on about how we elect our leaders with a majority vote; but in reality, a very small aristocratic minority within the corridors of power get to occupy the few exalted positions and benefit from the opportunities being provided. And as leaders are also getting perpetually installed by the spending power of a political godfather, without recourse to due process, some might argue that the system of government being run at this point is beginning to resemble feudalism than democracy.

It is therefore pertinent that to avoid the impending tendency towards a feudal state, the participation of a much larger section of the Nigerian population in the affairs of the nation is a patriotic necessity for the will of the majority of citizens to be accomplished.

Source:

Pulse NG

Difference Between

Featured Image Source: Pulse NG

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This article was first published on 28th October 2019

adedoyin

Macaddy is mostly a farmer in the day who also dabbles into technology at night, in search of other cutting edge intersections. He's on Twitter @i_fix_you

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