Democratic Successes in Lagos Must be Sustained  to Avoid Retrogression, Sanwo-Olu Advised

Segun James

A former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Adigun Agbaje yesterday warned the political leaders in Lagos state to ensure that the democratic space in the state does not get clogged in order to avoid a regression into oligarchy.

Agbaje, a professor of Political Science told Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his team “to elevate ideas in its governance infrastructure and superstructure. And that is the way it should be.”

The university don gave the remarks during a lecture as part of programmes lined up for the inauguration of the second term in office of Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.

The lecture titled, ‘The Making of a Beacon: Lagos and the Consolidation of a Democracy that Works for all.”

The lecturer noted that Governor Sanwo-Olu, in line with precedent, had carefully crafted a knowledge-based, inclusive pathway to renewal and consolidation, adding Lagos had been blessed by a happy coincidence over the decades of technocrats and astute politicians in governance.

He added the state must be pointed more in the direction of greater and wider inclusion, in the understanding that a democracy that works for all is not only desirable as a means to an end and an end in itself.

The professor said: “I propose, not because I stand before the people and government of Lagos today, that Lagos belongs to the few marching positively toward democratic renewal and, therefore, raising possibilities for even more meaningful development, peace and equity.

“At the same time, I want to quickly warn that given that democracy is a fragile process often prone to decline and even reversal, leaders of thought and of governance, along with members of the political elite, must consciously work to ensure that the democratic space in the state does not get so clogged as to witness a regression into oligarchy.

“For, experiences globally have shown that he longer-term interests of those that rule, and those they rule over, are better served when power remains democratic, rather than when it is undemocratically concentrated in the hands of a few. Democratic achievements must continue to be nurtured, otherwise they may falter and wither away.

“…as we seek pathways to catalyse greater democracy, development, peace and equity for the greater number of the people of Lagos and, of course, Nigeria. We often, perhaps by default, homogenise the reality and prospects for democracy in Nigeria, a complex, multinational, multi-cultural country, when in fact the level, type and pace of, and requirements for, democracy at the sub-national level differs from one part of each of the 36 states to another, and from state to state.

“Second, as has become increasingly clear, if we assess our experiences of what we call democracy by focusing not only on periodic elections but more with the imperatives of institution-building, inculcation of democratic values, including those for group and self-restraint, an absence of impunity and the triumph of the rule of law and due process, We may end up more with the sobering conclusion that much of Nigeria actually lives under the appearances of democracy rather than with its substances.

“As stated earlier, leaders of thought and action at all levels of government, private, business and professional life, organized labour, religion, community leaders and civil society, among others, must reassess and fully appreciate their role in all this. Happily, the government of Governor Sanwo-Olu, in line with precedent, has carefully crafted a knowledge-based, inclusive pathway to renewal and consolidation in this regard. Lagos has traditionally been blessed by a happy coincidence over the decades of technocrats and astute politicians in governance, with the added advantage of a higher civil service long cultivated on efficiency and effectiveness.

“His vision for governance in his first term was built around what was described as his THEMES agenda, comprising Traffic management and transportation, Health and the environment, Education and technology, Making Lagos a 21” century economy, Entertainment tourism, and Security and governance. He and his deputy, Dr. Hamzat, have promised to do more in this regard, with their campaign for re-election in the March 2023 election guided by the theme, A greater Lagos is Rising.

“The challenges before the leaders of thought and action in all this are daunting, but happily not strange or unsurmountable. The state must be pointed more in the direction of greater and wider inclusion, in the understanding that a democracy that works for all is not only desirable as a means to an end and an end in itself, but also achievable. It is one in which leaders must not be immune to pressures of the expectations and pains and cries of the people.

“Such leaders must as a matter of faith understand that political and other forms of progress can only be meaningfully realized when marginalized groups, including women, youth, the otherwise able, ethnic and other minorities, the urban and rural poor, among others, are placed at the centre of governance and the policy process not as victims or objects of benevolence but as full citizens. Elements of desirable practice here would include promoting consultative democracy in the structures and practice of government in between elections built around knowledge co-creation at community levels in matters of policy and general governance.

“Another component is to ensure that service delivery fits the way and where the people live and that changes benefit from popular inputs. More than ever before, the role of organized business: professional bodies, labour, various associations of artisans and informal market operators: “neighbourhood and community organisations in non-partisan knowledge-creation platforms should be nurtured and brought to bear on governance in a systematic rather than episodi¢ manner. All these will further strengthen the resilience of the democratic order and its capacity to minister to all.”