By Tabia PrincewillOn the subject of the President’s media chat, some say they found his declarations “dictatorial. So, allow me to play devil’s advocate and ask: Is a good dictatorship better than a corrupt democracy?
In asking this question I’m reminded of an article “Dictatorship, Democracy and Development by a political scientist, Mancur Olson where he points out that studies show no large group has ever been able to reach a voluntary agreement to ensure law and order. Is law and order in everyone’s interest?
The honest truth is that it isn’t. Nigeria is a prime example of this. Those who have looted public funds go abroad and see how things are done but it is not in their interest to develop Nigeria or to give us the sort of schools, roads or healthcare that exist in other climes
With their short term mentality and lack of creativity, what businesses could they start which would give them the sort of instant, wild returns that public office does? Many of those accused of corruption could not survive if Nigeria had a level playing field with opportunities for all.
Talented, brilliant Nigerians abound who would quickly displace the political class were the gates to be opened to them and their contributions. Democracy and openness is not man’s natural state. It isn’t what lays the foundation for law and order either
.Strong men, those with the same frugal, disciplined nature as Buhari, those are the sorts who demand that the law be unwavering and apply to all
.The PDP has incredibly positioned itself as a defender of a would-be democracy.
But in effect, what it has supervised for 16 years is a kleptocracy where certain groups saw it fit and found it incredibly easy to take from Nigeria and give nothing back. Kleptomaniacs are described as people with an obsessive desire to steal. This corrupted form of democracy has not benefitted Nigerians. With Buhari, I believe there is another way.
Dictatorial experience
Typically, it is said that dictatorships enable faster development (decision-making is streamlined) and instill discipline and order. It is interesting then that our military rulers installed and perfected kleptocratic government rather than develop Nigeria.
Indeed, one factor was missing in our dictatorial experience: the love of country. Or if you’re more cynical, the understanding of simple economics. None of our military rulers seemed to understand (or care?) that there would be more money to be made for themselves and their proxies in a state where things work and Nigerians are empowered enough to purchase goods and services which could have been offered by them!
How do monarchies work? The whole of Britain, in essence, works and exists to pay the royals a salary. Why have the Emirati or Saudi monarchies never been toppled?
They provide health care and education, these governments have given their citizens not just the basics, but empowered them with enough spending power to conveniently ignore that the same individuals have been in control of their destinies for centuries
.Dictatorships work: except in Africa where unfortunately, there is no national cause, no sense of purpose, love of country or greatness to strive for. President Buhari is definitely not a dictator (a dictator would not have been able to resist the temptation of throwing Olisa Metuh, Ayo Fayose or Femi Fani-Kayode in jail for the insulting, inhumane comments they often make) but if by dictator his critics mean someone who will do the right thing no matter whose interests are at stake, or someone who won’t listen to groups who come to Aso Rock to “beg for one guilty man or another, then please, let Buhari keep on “dictatoring.Singapore achieved an economic miracle in an impossible time frame: Lee Kuan Yew, a “dictator of sorts, a man who knew right from wrong and kept enemies of social order and collective prosperity at bay, stabilised his country completely.
So, if today young Singaporeans can even aspire to more rights and freedoms,it is because of him. Without order and an end to the sort of reckless stealing we in Nigeria have witnessed, there can be no development, no freedoms.
If we would stop clamouring for the liberty of accused individuals to keep killing us with impunity, we would realise that reckless stealing Buhari’s federal budget for instance, which favours health and education (the back bone of any democracy) for the first time in years is not just a game-changer,but the motivation Nigerians need to eschew our differences in the long term.
In a country led by kleptomaniacs, there has never been any incentive for Nigerians to produce: our non-oil exports are laughable for a country as large and as rich. To use a metaphor from the article I previously mentioned: past governments were wolves preying on unsuspecting elk. Buhari is the ranch owner who makes sure his cattle are protected and given water.
Some have criticised the President for his comments on Dasuki’s trial. The President said: “If you see the atrocities these people committed against this country, we can’t allow them to jump bail. What of the over two million people displaced, most of them orphans whose fathers have been killed? We cannot allow that. I wonder how these purported activists can claim to be pro-people while they defend those accused of killing Nigerians. Justice, the concept of fairness is universal. Unfortunately, in its application by human beings who are of course fallible and prone to monetary persuasions, temptations and corruption,the law or rather lawyers and judges, can fall short of justice
.In such cases it is morally justifiable to ignore them. After all, slavery and the holocaust were once legal and those who assisted Blacks or Jews were outlaws. Margaret Thatcher regrettably once called Mandela a criminal.
So, that some courts granted Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, a group with violent, separatist tendencies,bail and that government refused to release him because they believe him to be a threat to public order, is fine
.Nigeria cannot afford to operate like it once did. We are at war, a war against corruption, a war to keep this country together. Those who are proven menaces to the successful waging of said war, which is in the interest of Nigerians, those who have proven themselves to be enemies of the state cannot be allowed to walk the streets freely.If they are, what will they do if not use their stolen wealth to fight back, to fight not just government, but the average Nigerian, using our own money to furtherkill and oppress us?True leaders don’t allow separatism, ethnic hate to thrive or greedy elite to knowingly harm their citizens. If that makes Buhari a dictator then let him “dictate right from wrong all he wants.Labaran MakuAs a people, we are incredibly fond of speaking after the facts. The former minister of information has called for theremoval of the immunity clause for elected officials from the constitution.Interestingly, he didn’t push for such measures while a political appointee. The Attorney General of the Federation must prosecute the real dictators.The former Chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu presented a report to the National Assembly in 2006 detailing corruption cases and indictments involving 31 former governors. The sort of individuals who use public funds meant to develop the poor to fulfill their own selfish whims, they are the real monsters who have supervised the killing of the masses.Rich kids of InstagramPictures of Smart Adeyemi (a former senator)’s daughter’s £19k gold wristwatch (like former FCT Minister Bala Mohammed’s son’s luxury cars) have sparked much debate on social media as to the provenance of the funds used to purchase it, amidst allegations that American reality TV stars dated oil magnates rumoured to be connected to former Petroleum Minister Diezani Madueke. Is it suicidal for politically connected persons to flaunt their wealth in the Buhari era? Time will tell.*Tabia Princewill is a strategic communications consultant and public policy analyst. She is also the co-host and executive producer of a talk show, WALK THE TALK which airs on ChannelsTV.

Good article, PMB carry on. May thy lord strengthen you to totally bring down corruption.

.. ........

Dictatorship is Dictatorship whether good or bad.

100% better. .. u can even ask GEj and he will confirm it

No No No


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A corrupt democratic government that practices the tenets of democracy, will end up stealing money
A tyrannical and Machiavellian dictatorial regime, will end up stealing money, lives and dreams.

Dictatorship is evil in itself! There's nothing good about it...who dictates to the dictator then? Is he the wisest and most upright of all that one even considers letting him having his way unchecked? He is as subject to the foibles of man as the next person and when surrounded by demons in the name of trusted kitchen cabinet members like we have now, u can be sure that his madness will know no limits.

Define dictatorship

There are tens of countries that have succeeded with military dictators as the rulers.

Btw

I dont understand how the wailers reason. Dasuki was not arrested for the same crime he was granted bail for.

Like the way APCsupporter pointed out today, Buhari is simply trying to make some money from the bail before they are finally prosecuted. Besides, a court that will sentence an average Nigerian to 250 years imprisonment for stealing 8 million naira and sentence an elite to 6 years imprisonment for stealing billions cannot handle important cases like this.

Fighting corruption wwith tyranny is better than not fighting corruption at all or supporting it by telling us "stealing is not corruption" or telling us that "ordinary" $5M cannot buy a peageut car

freeze001:
Dictatorship is evil in itself! There's nothing good about it...who dictates to the dictator then? Is he the wisest and most upright of all that one even considers letting him having his way unchecked? He is as subject to the foibles of man as the next person and when surrounded by demons in the name of trusted kitchen cabinet members like we have now, u can be sure that his madness will know no limits.

Fighting corruption with "dictatorship" is better than supporting it.

It can be better but it depends on the motivation and intelligence of the leadership of the military....for example....Pinochet of Chile...

It is absolutely possible to fight corruption in democratic settings. The basic requirement is to strengthen institutions by the letters of the law and have a purely independent judiciary that is not tied to the apron strings of the executive or legislature under any guise.

Again, the power at the centre is too much and that is why one or some areas can be more favoured at the expense of others who do not happen to be in the good books of the government of the day. What is going on now in the name of fighting corruption is only cosmetic and smacks of addressing symptoms rather than the root cause.

The root of all the malaise and rot we see today such that hardly anything works is the system of government being operated. Not only is it too expensive, it also breeds and encourages the corruption sought to be fought and that is why the current crop of politicians will fight to get into office.

The moment self governance via a regional system of government is established with rotational Presidency and representation properly spelt out, that urge to fight for my share will be dealt with easily. When some regions appear to be doin better than others, healthy competition will set in and give room for development.

Once the people know that they have to be innovative to raise resources for development, no one will sit on their arses and say that FG did not give enough funds and so they can't pay salaries. Dictatorship is absolutely evil! There is no justification for choosing which law to obey and deciding that others are too restricting because u are fighting corruption. That is tantamount to cutting off one's nose to spite the face.

abduljabbar4:


Fighting corruption with "dictatorship" is better than supporting it.

freeze001:
It is absolutely possible to fight corruption in democratic settings. The basic requirement is to strengthen institutions by the letters of the law and have a purely independent judiciary that is not tied to the apron strings of the executive or legislature under any guise.

Again, the power at the centre is too much and that is why one or some areas can be more favoured at the expense of others who do not happen to be in the good books of the government of the day. What is going on now in the name of fighting corruption is only cosmetic and smacks of addressing symptoms rather than the root cause.

The root of all the malaise and rot we see today such that hardly anything works is the system of government being operated. Not only is it too expensive, it also breeds and encourages the corruption sought to be fought and that is why the current crop of politicians will fight to get into office.

The moment self governance via a regional system of government is established with rotational Presidency and representation properly spelt out, that urge to fight for my share will be dealt with easily. When some regions appear to be doin better than others, healthy competition will set in and give room for development.

And how long will that take? Besides you guys are trying to paint the EFCC's actions as illegal when its 100% lawful. Even if dasuki is granted bail today he can still be arrested for another charge. This can go on and on and on and in the end we will have at least 60% of the stolen funds back

Capital No !

in the case of Nigeria we need a dictator like buhari not a dictatoy like u know....

abduljabbar4:


And how long will that take? Besides you guys are trying to paint the EFCC's actions as illegal when its 100% lawful. Even if dasuki is granted bail today he can still be arrested for another charge. This can go on and on and on and in the end we will have at least 60% of the stolen funds back

There is nothing lawful about stretching the rules

Justice is suppose to be fair, EFcc have no right to break down Dasuki's offence into 100 so that he can be arrested and re-arrested.

That's not in the spirit of fair trial and justice! That's torture!

krendo:


There is nothing lawful about stretching the rules

Justice is suppose to be EFcc have no right to break down Dasuki's offence into 100 so that he can be arrested and re-arrested.

That's not in the spirit of fair trial and justice! That's torture!

But its fair to steal money thats meant to kill the greatest human rights abusers called boko haram right? I just wonder why somebody will be willing to kill himslef in defense of corruption

Aisha jollof rice working on overdrive, the lying liars are trying seriously to convince Nigerians to allow Buhari's govt suspend the constitution, check out the tone of their threads here on nairaland these past days, even my boy arresa hailed Babangida and Abacha regimes as the best thing to happen to Nigeria since agege bread with ewa agoyin. This is really a case of cutting the nose to spite the face.

Our darling Bubu should hear the voice of Nigerians VERY VERY clearly.

* We support your administration wholeheartedly because a peaceful nation ensures our livelihood.
* We support your fight against corruption as long as its within the tenets of the law and it's not selective.
* We love our democracy & constitution with the passion of a jealous lover.
* If Nigerians needed the constitution to be suspended, we would have invited the military to take over but NO, the army should stay in their barracks and protect us from there. 2019 is around the corner, if you're tired by then you can forget about contesting for reelection.
* But if you president Buhari feel that working with a constitution will be as hard or even harder than applied quantum physics, then PLEASE and PLEASE step aside i.e. resign let your VP take over as he seems very capable and millenium compliant for the job.

Dear Mr president, you've been asking for this pudding, so you must finish it as served.

Thanks very much.

YOU LYING LIARS & MÂSTURBATORS SHOULD ARGUE WITH YOUR ANCESTORS.

abduljabbar4:


And how long will that take? Besides you guys are trying to paint the EFCC's actions as illegal when its 100% lawful. Even if dasuki is granted bail today he can still be arrested for another charge. This can go on and on and on and in the end we will have at least 60% of the stolen funds back

And how long do u think this back n forth with EFCC arresting and re-arresting only those authorised by GMB will take? Is it all about a quick fix? Keep pouring water down a broken cistern and it will never hold anything cos it is broken!

Corruption like I said he only one symptom of a core problem. The government must multi task. It will not hand itself on EFCC arresting and re-arresting. What had happened to the former EFCC chairman that was accused of theft in trillions?

It is better to take a wholesome approach than this piecemeal system cos it becomes like a hydra headed monster... cut one off and more grow in the place of one. Therefore kill d monster already by providing a working system of governance. The CONFAB is there. ..that is a foundation that has been laid.

A good dictatorship is the best government for a country. Africans are too retarded to produce one though

abduljabbar4:


But its fair to steal money thats meant to kill the greatest human rights abusers called boko haram right? I just wonder why somebody will be willing to kill himslef in defense of corruption

how do you know that he stole? have you convicted him?

How about a corrupt dictatorship



In your own lives, have you seen lying and stealing decrease in Nigeria? Lets talk about your own life, not what you're speculating about GEJ.

You are only peddling lies. You can believe whatever you so desire
Is it just because Buhari refuse to release corrupt people and someone threatening a whole nation which amount to treason?
We are into complete democracy. For there is nowhere in the world where such is done. Even the US that prides itself as number one democracy in the world keeps such people like Kanu who constitute nuisance in without trial (GUANTANAMO prison) and even sometimes murdered without family knowing their whereabout.

US always involve in complicity disappearance of people that constitute wanton state threat
This is true democracy and nothing else. The idea of of a dictator or some foolish name is just the idear of IPOB who are so desperate because of their dilector who is going to be hanged

Hmmm

krendo:


how do you know that he stole? have you convicted him?

Where were you when he was making his confessions?

abduljabbar4:

Where were you when he was making his confessions?

If you want a dictatorial nation, migrate to North Korea.

It is either Buhari appreciates the judiciary or resign

You don't fight corruption using a corrupt method





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ScotsReferendum:



If you want a dictatorial nation, migrate to North Korea.

It is either Buhari appreciates the judiciary or resign

You don't fight corruption using a corrupt method





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Go and make him resign na. Within just 24 hours pro-Buhari's petition has trippled the one against him. This shows that majority of Nigerians support his war on corruption..

Coruuption fighting corruption is better than stealing is not corruption

abduljabbar4:


Go and make him resign na. Within just 24 hours pro-Buhari's petition has trippled the one against him. This shows that majority of Nigerians support his war on corruption..

Coruuption fighting corruption is better than stealing is not corruption

You mean people using multiple handles or people that have eaten Aisha's rice

Guy it is not what we say online that matters, it is what the ordinary man on the street sees that matters

Today, go to Akure and find the price of fuel





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krendo:


There is nothing lawful about stretching the rules

Justice is suppose to be fair, EFcc have no right to break down Dasuki's offence into 100 so that he can be arrested and re-arrested.

That's not in the spirit of fair trial and justice! That's torture!

As they were stealing our money,wasnt that torture too...