•Prof Chidi Odinkalu
Human rights advocate and lawyer, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, has argued that comparing the failures of civilian rule to military rule amounts to “gaslighting” Nigerians, insisting that citizens deserve better democratic governance rather than being forced to choose between two undesirable options.
Odinkalu spoke during a special Democracy Day conversation on Channels Television themed “The Next Generation: From Struggles To Stewardship,” and held yesterday to commemorate the June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
While firmly rejecting military intervention in politics, Odinkalu disagreed with the popular assertion that “the worst of civilian rule is better than military rule.”
The professor argued that Nigerians should not be forced into a false choice between ineffective civilian governance and military dictatorship.
“I absolutely do not. I think that is gaslighting people who want to address the problems with civilian rule. The worst of civilian rule is the worst of civilian rule, and we should not create this Manichaeism of thinking that we’ve got to choose between the worst of civilian rule or soldiers.
“Nobody deserves the worst of civilian rule. Let’s not gaslight citizens. There is something fundamentally wrong with the civilian rule,” he said.
“Why can’t we get the best of civilian rule? What’s wrong with that?” the professor asked.
Reflecting on his personal experience, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission said he lived through military rule and had no desire to see its return.
“Military rule is not folklore to me. I experienced it very much. I was born into military rule and into a war and even internal displacement. I lived through it. I lived in the gutters of Ikorodu Road, doing all of that and worse,” he said.
Nigeria has experienced alternating periods of civilian and military governments since gaining independence in 1960, with military regimes dominating much of the period between 1966 and part of 1999 before the country returned to democratic rule in May 1999.
In recent years, economic hardship and insecurity have fuelled public frustration, prompting occasional pro-coup sentiments in some quarters.
However, many political leaders, former military officers and analysts have warned against military rule.
Last year, authorities uncovered and investigated an alleged coup plot involving senior military officers, leading to arrests and ongoing military proceedings.
