Nigerians better off under military rule – Donald Duke

Former Cross River Governor and PRP presidential contender, Donald Duke, has contended that Nigerians experienced greater prosperity under military governance compared to the current democratic regime. During a recent interview, Duke maintained that despite 27 years of democratic rule since Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999, the lives of ordinary citizens have seen little progress.

"The people were better off under the military. At least governance was not that costly," he stated. Duke's perspective is predicated on the welfare of citizens and the dividends of democracy over the years. "We are still grappling with the same issues we faced 27 years ago. It's getting worse. The number of children out of school has not improved; it's deteriorating.

The healthcare system is not improving; it's deteriorating," he noted. He questioned whether Nigeria is in a better position today than it was in 1999, pointing to persistent issues such as poor infrastructure, high unemployment rates, and inadequate electricity supply. "The problems that existed before 1999—electrification, unemployment—those things are still there.

And I don’t see a structured approach towards resolving these issues," Duke lamented. The former governor also criticized Nigeria's political system, describing the opposition as weak and self-serving, citing widespread disenchantment among citizens regarding the efficacy of elections due to a belief that their votes do not make a difference.

"The opposition is terribly weakened and self-serving. Democracy is also in danger. The results you get from the polls often don’t reflect the views of the people," he remarked. Duke contended that this erosion of trust has led to a lack of accountability, enabling elected officials to disregard the needs of the populace. He further alleged that Nigeria's democratic institutions are failing to fulfill their duty to provide checks and balances, citing the hasty approval of Nigeria's return to the former national anthem as evidence, suggesting that lawmakers did not adequately scrutinize the decision.

Duke also blamed Nigeria's elite for abdicating their leadership responsibilities, allowing politics to become a permanent occupation for a select group. "It’s a failure of the elite more than anything else. We’re elites; we’re enlightened people but we abdicated our leadership to those whom we should be leading," he asserted. He warned that the widening gap between the rich and poor could endanger social stability, recalling a prediction that a time would come when the wealthy would struggle to sleep due to pervasive poverty.

Despite his criticisms, Duke expressed disappointment rather than hopelessness, emphasizing that Nigeria possesses the human and material resources necessary for progress. "Nigeria is exceedingly blessed. It’s sad. It’s painful that we are where we are," Duke concluded.