Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for comprehensive reforms of Nigeria’s democratic system, describing its current practice as opaque and amorphous and warning that the country may struggle to achieve meaningful development without institutional changes.
Mr 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 the reform of 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 political leadership recruitment to achieve meaningful progress.
Jonathan also called for greater investment in functional education, stressing the need for an educational system capable of promoting 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 despite the existence of 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 determine whether the country would have overcome its present challenges by then or whether another generation would still be lamenting the same failures and unrealised aspirations.
