Fashola Provokes Citizens’ Consciousness on Elections, Governance

Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has charged Nigerians to be actively involved in politics and governance ahead of the 2023 general election in the country. Emameh Gabriel reports

The audience was awed in silence by Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola’s stunning presentation at the Ninch 2022 Annual Lecture where he invoked their consciousness to the reality that governance is beyond the optics and, thereafter consciously instilled a sense of guilt in them as citizens who have also failed to play their roles through sincere engagement.

Citizens participation in the electoral process is not enough to make democracy work but the need for citizens to genuinely equip themselves with knowledge that will help them make decisions about policy choices and the proper use of authority, along with the skills to voice their concerns, act collectively and hold public officials- elected representatives; civil servants; and appointed leaders accountable.

All of these are the main instrumental driver for democratic and socio-economic change, and fundamental forces to empower citizens.

This was the thought provoking conversation that enveloped the atmosphere at a lecture in Lagos last week.

Fashola did not mince words when he stepped on the podium at the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Centre, Onikan, Lagos to deliver a lecture titled “2023 elections and the future of Nigeria’s democracy”

Fashola, former Governor of Lagos State and a learned silk, was joined by First Republic politician and human rights activist, Tanko Yakasai, who chaired the event and other high profile political and business leaders, including former Minster of Transport and presidential aspirant of the All Progressive Congress, Rotimi Amaechi; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, as well as leading presidential candidates in the 2023 elections to cross pollinate on the true ideals of democracy.

At the lecture, an annual intellectual fiesta that has become a staple aimed at proffering solutions to some of Nigeria’s most daunting problems, Fashola reminded Nigerians of the potentials the 2023 general elections hold for them, noting that while citizens’ involvement in holding governments accountable in the last two decades was commendable, of course, inspiring, but they have consciously or unconsciously left open lot of salient question as to what really is it that they expect from those they elect and what do they promise to do before they vote, and what have they done for the electorate.

He asked: “Did we vote for, or did we collect tricycles, sewing machines, generators etc. from them?

“If we did, can we legitimately expect that the budget from which these things were procured will also provide healthcare, drugs and diagnostic equipment in our health facilities?

“If they have sponsored weddings for our families, financed the burial of our dear departed ones or paid school fees for a whole community do we understand that these things or some of them are funded by the budget from which we also expect good schools, good roads and other public infrastructure and services upon which our prosperity depends collectively?

“When the campaigns for election to executive office starts and we hear of free this and free that, do we engage in a conversation about how much it would cost and where the money will come from?

After all, to use the cliche nothing is free even in Freetown.

“Put differently, how many of us who vote truly understand how the process works?

“How many of our electorate understand what the actual constitutional roles of our legislators, Local Government Chairman, Governors, and President are?

“These questions may look ordinary, but my experience in government suggests that they are not. I have been surprised by how unfamiliar some of us are with the constitution and our responsibilities, although I must concede that we are fairly well acquainted when it comes to our rights.

He said of a truth, elections are only a part of the democratic process; and this requires not only the successful party to play their role in the formation and running of government, but the opposition as watchdog, and government in waiting, has an equally important role to play in enriching the process.

Fashola said sadly, most times, the focus is on the Executive as an entity rather than others who were also elected, appointed and employed in the service of the government- a situation he described as unhealthy for true development and democracy.

He said: “I seek to highlight what I perceive to be a lack of appreciation of what constitutes the Federal Government and what her role is.

“To start with, there is a lie that is being told and repeated and some are beginning to believe it, that we do not have a Federal type of constitutional governance partly because they think our Federation is not perfect which I agree with, but an imperfect federation is not the same thing as a non-existent Federation.

“The truth is that the imperfection is probably one of the reasons why there are provisions for amendments in the constitution.

“If a constitution provides that the federal, state and local governments have different responsibilities and some shared responsibilities as our constitution does in the exclusive and concurrent list of the second schedule and the fourth schedule, I think the minimum requirements of federalism have been met.

“Whether the states or local governments should get more powers, lies with us to exercise the amendment in a process requiring federal legislators to initiate it and 2/3 of the states to concur with it.

“If that has not happened, it seems to me that it does not extinguish the existence of a federal arrangement, neither is it solely the fault of one person such as the president or the federal government.

Fashola, therefore, said this brings to mind the understanding of how the Federal Government is structured.

According to him: “I have heard some federal legislators laying the blame of some failing or the other on the “Federal Government,” when in fact what they probably intended is the “Federal Executive” arm of the Federal Government.

“The fact is that the federal judiciary, legislative and executive all constitutes one Federal Government operating in three arms.

“If we decompose the constituents of the federal government, it will become obvious that it is all of us, the states, through our representatives who make up the federal government.

Citing section 147 (3) of the 1999 constitution, which clearly explains that in the Federal Executive arm of Government, the election of the president and vice president only represents a partial composition of the federal executive because there are 36 states ministers appointed before the federal executive is probably constituted.

“In effect, each of our states makes up the much-vilified Federal Executive because the ministers represent us there.

“On the federal legislative side of the federal government, the 109 senators and 360 representatives are elected to represent us from senatorial districts and federal constituencies created within our states.

“The same is true in the federal judiciary at least at the Federal High Court level and largely so at the Appeal court, except for the supreme court that does not have 36 seats.

“The point I seek to make therefore is that it is the representatives of the 36 states who truly constitute the federal government rather than any behemoth or entity,” said the former Lagos State governor who asked how many Nigerians are ready to engage in genuine conversation on accountability.

While he said the 2023 general election provides an ample opportunity for citizens, he noted that the hype as to what the election could look like are evidently not real. In other words, political participation is showing a downward trend.

Fashola said, for example, “our current situation we now have 12,332,336 newly registered voters for the 2023 election, whereas there were 14,360,053 newly registered voters in 2019, while 6,944,752 registered as new voters in 2015.

“So, if the hype about 2023 is anything to go by, the number of 12,332,366 newly registered voters does not support it, because it is 2,027,687 less than the 14,360,053 newly registered voters in 2019.

“Obviously, we have seen all the hype before and they detract from the real question which in my view should be: how can democracy, especially the 2023 elections, make our lives better and our country greater?

“I think we should focus on this question because we must remember that democracy is simply concerned about the popular participation in choosing a leader or set of leaders.

“Democracy does not guarantee that the leader or those leaders will deliver or indeed are able to deliver on what we want”, said Fashola who pointed that Nigeria has never had a weak opposition political party like what we today.

His words: “Let us ask ourselves when last an opposition party prepared and detailed an alternative budget to that of the party in government.

“True enough, we hear criticisms of what the party in Government is not doing or getting right; but when I ask, can you recall an opposition party offering a credible and alternative solution to what the party in Government has done wrong.

“To be fair I must acknowledge the generalizations such as we will do this and do that, but very often that is where it ends.

“On the question of revenue or lack thereof for example and the borrowing by Government, apart from the legitimate concerns about borrowing which are rightfully expressed, I have challenged the critics to provide the alternative; and I am still awaiting a response.

“If you listen to any of the several Morning shows the issue will come up and you will hear the criticisms, which are legitimate, but you will not get any credible answer to the question – what are the alternatives?

“Yes, democracy heralds freedoms including the freedom to speak. But what kind of speeches are we engaging in?, he asked again.

“Heckling, online trolling, hate and in person verbal abuse in some cases or talk about ethnicity or religion.

“How do we resolve the revenue problem we have with fuel subsidy without leading to social unrest which the two dominant parties have not yet resolved, and the other contenders remain quiet about.

“Why has parliament, where all the people of Nigeria are represented, not taken a bipartisan position on the matter after consulting with their constituents, the Nigerian people, and say that we have your mandate to do this or that about the subsidy.

“When those promises do not materialize, are we complicit in their stillbirth by the lack of engagement or the quality of engagement.

“So, if we agree for example to amend the constitution to allow state policing, I don’t see who can stop it. But do we have a consensus on this matter?

“If the Government is not giving us what we expect, I think we should all look in the mirror and ask ourselves what we have put into it, because we are the ones who constitute it,  who reminded citizens to always appreciate what successive governments have achieved since 1999 even if there are a lot to be done.”

Fashola also told the audience: “While there is a lot of work still to be done, it is proper at this point to also highlight the successes our democracy has delivered because the democratic experience since 1999 came at great cost.

“Therefore, before I close, let me remind us about some of the things our democracy has delivered since 1999 so that we keep stock, and we believe and reaffirm our commitment to the choice that democracy offer is us and we remain faithful to its ideals.

“Our democracy has delivered an interstate train service, the first and only one since the one built by the colonial government.

“Our democracy is delivering solutions to problems that seem to have defied solutions, like a road and bridge network to Bonny Island, like the Second Niger Bridge and the reconstruction of the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Kano-Maiduguri Expressway and an extensive broadband rollout nationwide.

“And lest I forget, our democracy delivered access to telephone service for many Nigerians.

“Our democracy has delivered an increasing reliance on Tax revenue as the basis of Government expenditure. This is important because it increases the focus on representation.

“While there is still a lot to do, these are building blocks of hope around which to build our prosperity.”