Second Republic politician berates Nigeria's Democracy as a mirage

 By Inegbagha Majesty 

A renowned politician of the Second Republic in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa state, Rev. Richman Bedford Akakholi has berated the Nigeria's Democracy as a mirage.

Rev. Richman Bedford Akakholi 

Rev. Akakholi who stated this on Wednesday, in Yenagoa, during an exclusive interview with Global Overseer on " Contemporary issues about the nation and its 27th Anniversary of Democracy Day Celebration," argued that the core dividends of democracy such as credible election, economic stability, social justice amongst others have failed to reach majority of citizens.

He lamented that over the years government has developed much interest in politicking than actual practice of democracy, noting that democracy is being government for people who are in public offices, and not "A government of the people, by the people, and for the people".

The Second Republic Politician maintained that democratic government is expected to enhance development in the nation, but that is not what  the people are seeing.

He acknowledged government efforts in  providing some infrastructural development, stressing that 'when we consider development generally, I don't think that we have made so much progress'.

"In fact  what we think democracy will do, we expected that democracy will sincerely affects lives in terms of human and capacity development. And then, even infrastructural development, we are looking at our roads, internal roads at the cities, in the communities, link roads and all that. Though, for Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri, the governor of the state has tried so much. But to see generally that democracy is making huge progress in this country, I'm not sure," he asserted.

He pointed out that even last year's democracy day was not adequately celebrated as expected, stating that democracy day supposed to be a day that all citizens of this country come out in their numbers and celebrate it with government initiatives to ensure that Nigerians feel the impacts of democracy.

He attributed the inability of government to mobilize citizens to come out en masse to celebrate democracy days as may not be unconnected with poor performance of democracy in the country, arising from absent of tangible democratic dividends.