Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has issued a warning that the Western Liberal Democracy model is not effectively serving the interests of Africa. He made this assertion during his keynote address at a high-level consultation titled “Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa” held in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun state.
The event witnessed the presence of notable figures such as former Governors Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), and former Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada.
Obasanjo argued that the Western style of democracy has failed in Africa primarily because it neglects the perspectives of the majority. He criticized Western Liberal Democracy as a system where governance is wielded by a select few over the entire population, with these few representing only certain segments of the people, not the entirety.
The former President proposed the concept of “Afro Democracy” as an alternative to Western liberal democracy. In his words, “The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practiced stem from its history, content, and context and its practice.”
Obasanjo said, “The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content and context and its practice.
“Once you move from all the people to a representative of the people, you start to encounter troubles and problems. For those who define it as the rule of the majority, should the minority be ignored, neglected and excluded?
“In short, we have a system of government in which we have no hands to define and design and we continue with it, even when we know that it is not working for us.
“Those who brought it to us are now questioning the rightness of their invention, its deliverability and its relevance today without reform.
“The essence of any system of government is the welfare and well-being of the people: all the people.
“Here, we must interrogate the performance of democracy in the West when it originated from and with us the inheritors of what we are left with by our colonial powers.
“We are here to stop being foolish and stupid. Can we look inward and outward to see what in our country, culture, tradition, practice and living over the years that we can learn from, adopt and adapt with practices everywhere for a changed system of government that will service our purpose better and deliver?
Obasanjo questioned whether the minority should be ignored, neglected, and excluded in a system that defines itself as the rule of the majority. He emphasized the need to reevaluate the performance of democracy in the West, considering its origin from colonial powers and its implementation in Africa.
During his address, Obasanjo urged the audience to abandon outdated thinking and explore innovative approaches to governance. He called for a thorough examination of liberal democracy’s practice, identification of its shortcomings in the African context, and the generation of ideas and recommendations for a more effective system.
“We have to think out of the box and after, act with our new thinking. You are invited here to examine clinically the practice of liberal democracy, identify its shortcomings for our society and bring forth ideas and recommendations that can serve our purpose better, knowing human beings for what we are and going by our experiences and the experiences of others.
Obasanjo declared, emphasizing the importance of introspection and adaptation to better suit the unique needs and experiences of African nations.
