Agbakoba proposes new govt model, says western democracy no longer working in Nigeria

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba, has advocated for a new governance model for Nigeria as Western democracy was no longer working in the country.

Agbakoba who made the call on Friday while appearing as a guest on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme, said the liberal democracy model which was borrowed from the western world has failed in Nigeria.

He however, suggested what he called a consociational democracy where institutional democracy is built around institutions.

“I think that the basic problem to permit me to give a small contextual and conceptual background about where we are and the problem, I think that the basic problem is that the Western democratic liberal model has failed,” he said.

Continuing, Agbakoba said:

“Nigeria, as you know, we’ve worked on a new constitutional process for 25 years, since 2000, and nothing.

“I think it’s time to rethink and reimagine our democratic experience. It’s not working, it’s not inclusive, it’s divisive. It’s full of fighting. It’s a winner-takes-it-all. People want power; nobody wants to be in the opposition.

READ ALSO: Agbakoba asks Natasha to retract sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio

“You see the opposition, people all jumping into the APC. The process is not working. So personally, I would advocate something homegrown, autonomous, what I call consociational democracy, where we build our institutional democracy around our institutions.

“I am a very strong person in finding a role for traditional rulers. King Charles is the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom, and he has a role to play. He’s going to Canada. He’s playing a role in the trade process. He’s got a good deal with Trump.

“So I think our constitutional process should include the traditional rulers. I will recommend the Belgium model, where the Walloons and the Flemings are different people, but they’ve come to an arrangement whereby there is inclusion.

“It’s something that enables only a few to extract. If return on capital exceeds return on development, why would anybody want to develop Nigeria?

“These are the two broad points I think we need to take into account in reimagining a new Nigerian experiment. Otherwise, I started at 29, like I keep saying. Now I’m 72. If something hasn’t worked for all this time, is it not time we think through a process?” he aaked.

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