‘Democracy Will Die, Buried Without Reform’, Obasanjo Warns

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that ideology risks illness if it continued to beryllium practiced successful its existent signifier without urgent reforms.

Speaking connected Wednesday astatine the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation successful Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo said that portion ideology was primitively conceived arsenic “government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” it has drifted acold from that vision.

“Democracy dies due to the fact that ideology has refused to beryllium reformed,” helium declared. “There are 3 aspects of ideology that cannot proceed to beryllium the mode it was arsenic defined by the American president; authorities of the people, by the radical and for the people.

“In that definition, ideology is meant to beryllium each people’s action. And if ideology volition not dice and beryllium buried, ideology indispensable beryllium reformed successful context, successful content, and successful practice.”

Obasanjo likened the failures of ideology to a section proverb successful his portion of the world, “The happening that killed the rootlike is the insect successful the vegetable.” He explained that ideology was being destroyed from wrong owed to the mode it is presently practiced.

“The happening that is sidesplitting ideology and volition termination it is the signifier of democracy,” helium warned. “All the essentials that should beryllium portion and parcel of ideology are being ignored oregon bastardised successful specified a mode that ideology has failed to deliver. And ideology cannot present unless it is reformed. If it is not reformed, it volition not lone fail, it volition dice and beryllium buried.”

The erstwhile president, however, argued that contempt its flaws, ideology remains irreplaceable.

“There is not immoderate existent substitute for ideology arsenic it was primitively designed; authorities of the radical — each the people. What we person present is authorities of immoderate people, by immoderate people, implicit each the people,” helium lamented.

He further criticised the mentation of ideology arsenic simply “government of the majority,” insisting that this position marginalises minorities and undermines inclusivity.

“And they speech of authorities of ideology arsenic authorities of majority. If you speech of authorities of majority, what bash you bash with the minority? Then number is not portion of the people?” Obasanjo queried.

The elder statesman’s remarks came amid increasing planetary conversations astir the diminution of antiauthoritarian values, anemic institutions, and the emergence of authoritarian tendencies crossed assorted regions.