What Does Democracy Day Mean to Nigeria’s Young People?

Obasanjo, one of the actors pivotal to the installment of the democratic system of government in Nigeria, has admitted to its failure in Nigeria. “Let me go back to the beginning where we got it wrong — the Western liberal democracy, that is what the Europeans have. When you look at the Western liberal democracy, it is a product of their history, a product of their culture, a product of their way of life,” he said when he met some members of the Nigerian House of Representatives championing a parliamentary system of government, in May. “There is nothing in the liberal democracy that is African. We ruled ourselves before the advent of colonialism. We had empires and striving kingdoms. We did not rule ourselves as opposition,” he added.

In honor of this year’s Democracy Day, OkayAfrica speaks with Nigerians to get a sense of how they feel about the state of democracy today, and what the day means to them.

David Nwachukwu, 28

David Nwachukwu: I have mixed feelings overall. On some days I wonder if we are mere spectators in a chaotic showcase and on other days, I’m inspired by the number of young people I encounter at work trying their best to make things work and fight for systemic change. The 2023 elections proved to me that there’s a large number of us who still care, but we need to do so much more in terms of education. The average Nigerian doesn’t even understand democracy and how it should serve them, much less the constitution.

Feyikemi AB, 26

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Feyikemi AB: Honestly, I would be lying to everyone and myself if I said I still cared about Democracy Day. I used to be the most patriotic child, but the older I got, the more I realized that we were not living in a democratic country. Not politically, not socially. Good on them for honoring MKO Abiola and moving the date to June 12, but what value does the so-called ‘honor’ or ‘democracy’ have after the 2023 elections?

Zia Y, 23

Zia Y: To be honest, I think democracy in Nigeria is a myth. Elections in Nigeria have always been a case of who has more money, more violent underlings and more powerful godfathers. Nothing has brought this more to light than the past election, a joke of a process. I barely even remembered that Democracy Day was June 12 because the patriotism bone in my body was dead. It died its first in October 2020 (during #EndSARS protests) and its second in March 2023 (elections).

Mayowa Balogun, 30

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Mayowa Balogun: I've never celebrated Democracy Day in Nigeria because it has never been real to me, certainly not after 2023. The people have never been represented and our voices have never been heard. Not sure that I care for a "democracy" anyway, we just want good leadership so that we can fulfill our dreams and ambitions as well as live a decent life.

Jekein Lato-Unah, 27

Jekein Lato-Unah: By the mere definition of democracy, the day shouldn’t even exist. I have been in frequent states of despair for the past 9 years because my youth was taken from me. There is absolutely nothing to celebrate when power has been violently stolen from the people so much so that we are losing Nigerians in hundreds and thousands daily from state-sponsored insecurity, ridiculously high cost of living, lack of basic infrastructure and police brutality. The people are working thrice as hard for peanuts with no hope in sight, whilst the leaders squander [millions] of dollars amongst themselves so brazenly. Shame on anyone who thinks this is a democracy, not to mention one worth celebrating.

Kaelo Iyizoba, 29

Kaelo Iyizoba: Perhaps the recent reversion to our colonial anthem best exemplifies our current condition, a propulsive backwards race away from the finish line. With our inflation shooting for the stars, even the hustle and grind middle class can’t seem to hustle their way out of this one. Yet hope endures. Hope, the key to our future and also our prison. For where hope ends, revolution begins.