Nigeria at 65: Democracy gasping for breath as opposition’s voice silenced – CHRICED

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has warned that Nigeria’s ideology is nether terrible threat, with governmental opportunism replacing governance, absorption parties facing clampdowns, and the judiciary weakened by interference and corruption.

In a State of the Nation Address to people Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi, Executive Director of CHRICED, signed the statement, saying the state was ‘bleeding’ politically, economically and socially nether deepening neglect of institutions meant to support citizens.

According to him, “Sixty-five years aft independence, the anticipation of Nigeria’s founding fathers for unity, prosperity, and dignity has fixed mode to frustration, arsenic anniversaries present punctual citizens of unfulfilled promises and a federation inactive struggling to specify its destiny.”

The radical accused the existent medication of allowing premature electioneering to predominate nationalist sermon astatine the disbursal of governance.

“The clip for passive anticipation has passed. The clip for courageous, corporate enactment is now,” Zikirullahi declared.

CHRICED besides raised concerns astir the shrinking abstraction for opposition, citing caller clampdowns connected the secretariats of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside unconstitutional restrictions connected the governmental activities of absorption figures.

It described these developments arsenic ‘intimidation tactics’ that endanger Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

The radical further drew attraction to what it described arsenic the systemic exclusion of Abuja’s archetypal inhabitants, whose lands person been seized without compensation and whose voices are marginalised successful nationalist affairs.

The organisation reiterated its request that Abuja beryllium recognised arsenic Nigeria’s 37th authorities to reconstruct dignity and governmental representation.

On the judiciary, CHRICED lamented increasing allegations of corruption, governmental interference and inefficiency, informing that justness successful Nigeria was ‘no longer blind, but barricaded down walls of influence, hold and silence.’

“Nigerians are sounding the alarm implicit the deepening situation wrong the judiciary, a subdivision erstwhile revered arsenic the past anticipation of the communal man. Today, that anticipation is progressively fading,” Zikirullahi said.

The organisation argued that prolonged delays successful tribunal cases, bought verdicts and enforcement seizure of delicate governmental trials had eroded nationalist confidence. It besides cited the Auditor-General’s findings of billions mislaid to fraudulent contracts arsenic grounds of impunity going unpunished.

It described the National Assembly’s connection to make 31 caller states arsenic a ‘dangerous diversion’ astatine a clip of hyperinflation, wide unemployment and insecurity. The radical said the lone justified connection was granting statehood to Abuja to extremity decades of exclusion of its indigenous peoples.

On the economy, CHRICED painted a bleak picture, citing August 2025 ostentation of 20.4 per cent, an speech complaint of ₦1,501.45 to the dollar, and a monetary argumentation complaint of 27.5 per cent.

It said these indicators reflected a state successful economical freefall, with much than 130 cardinal citizens trapped successful poorness and younker unemployment exceeding 40 per cent.

The radical besides highlighted widening inequality successful wages.

“A legislator earns implicit ₦31 cardinal monthly; a civilian servant earns little than ₦70,000. Yet some families store successful the aforesaid markets. This disparity is not conscionable unjust, it is wicked and unsustainable,” Zikirullahi noted.

On insecurity, CHRICED condemned the continuing unit by insurgents and equipped groups crossed the country, the emergence of kidnappings, and persistent farmer–herder clashes. It said insecurity had forced the closure of hundreds of schools, leaving millions of children without entree to education.

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