“We who seek to build democracy must not be bound by the false assertion that the rule of law is democratic. A re-examination of history teaches us that our powerful legal system is a massive fortress against popular sovereignty. One of our most important tasks is to revisit fundamental questions that were resolved by undemocratic means in the past”.
Doug Hammerstrom “The Rule of Law versus Democracy” in By What Authority (Vol. 5, No 1, Winter 2002)
“The more corrupt the Republic, the more the Laws”. –Tacitus
Human beings, despite all the centuries of development and progress and evolution are still somewhat rigid when it comes to issues that affect everyday existence and this in the face of obvious knowledge. It is no fault of anybody. We are only human. Nobody has a monopoly of knowledge or wisdom in this world, and so I would like to seek the indulgence of lawyers, political commentators and jurists for venturing into an area of which I am not an expert. I have therefore endeavoured to do a little research before daring to write this article.
Democratic governance is based on the will of the people and is the form of governance best suited to allowing all people to live in dignity and freedom. This is also emphasised by the Millennium Declaration, in which the international community undertakes to promote democracy worldwide. Democracy requires a “rule of law” framework in order to govern the interaction and co-existence of all citizens. By guaranteeing civil rights, the rule of law also creates the basic conditions in which individuals can pursue their own personal development as they choose. Human rights, the state monopoly of power, the separation of powers and an independent, effective judiciary play a key role in this context.
For much of human history, rulers and law were synonymous — law was simply the will of the ruler. A first step away from such tyranny was the notion of rule by law, including the notion that even a ruler is under the law and should rule by virtue of legal means. Democracies went further by establishing the rule of law. Although no society or government system is problem-free, rule of law protects fundamental political, social, and economic rights and reminds us that tyranny and lawlessness are not the only alternatives.
I believe, like so many other Nigerians, in the democratic institution and dispensation in the country. As a committed democrat, I believe this is the only way we can survive and progress as a nation and develop as a people. I also believe in the Rule of Law, which is defined as the “principle” that governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedure. The principle is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary governance. We actually need this for our democracy to survive. I have highlighted the word “principle” because principle is in turn defined as “a general truth used as a basis of reasoning or action, or as a personal code of conduct, a scientific law shown or used in the working of something” (Oxford English Dictionary). A principle is therefore not binding on anybody except the person who holds on to that principle; it is discretionary and not to be taken as a whole truth or necessarily as a benchmark, however it is often regarded as a guide in explaining one’s actions or beliefs. A principle can be bad or good, wrong or right, depending on the circumstance or the individual. For example, Adolf Hitler’s principle of Nazism was not something that was widely acceptable, yet it remained a principle and a doctrine. Same logic goes for Communism or Marxist principles. Even, capitalism is not widely accepted.
However, we should put issues in perspective and be a bit more realistic and impartial, at least as far as Democracy, Nigerian-style is concerned. Yes, we all have our biases but sometimes we should put all these aside if we are truthful or honest about making our country, not great (I don’t care about
We must first of all recognise that despite the nearly 50 years of independence, in which we inherited a democratic system of governance from the British, and also had our own very first democratic experiment (1979 to 1984) and now from 1999 to the present, our democracy is still largely nascent and imperfect. We cannot however, but recognise that we are slowly, albeit painfully, creeping towards what a modern democratic society should be. There will be teething problems, and we have them in abundance.
We should recognise that since inception, there has been arguably little or no rule of law in
Secondly, why should the rule of law apply to people who had flouted the rule of law in the first place to get where they are today? Ninety percent (and this is my own guesstimates) of people holding political positions today in
When Governor Ladoja of
When things were going on swimmingly well for these corrupt politicians, nobody ever said anything about the rule of law. Every political leader had a field day in
Again, at the risk of being labelled an anarchist, I submit that as far as Nigeria is concerned, taking into consideration how deep the hydra-headed monster, that malignant tumour called corruption, has eaten deep into the Nigerian psyche and polity, the rule of law cannot effectively tackle it, unless we are not serious about this war. To people shouting rule of law, I don’t think they realise that
4 comments
its a nice work. Youre advocatin wat Prof Ben also did..i agree. If Nigerians were Egyptians,chng wuld hav cm long ago bt, truth is d nigerian spirit is weak
the article is not bad at all
good piece man !
Why is Babangida awfully quiet nowadays?