Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has challenged the suitability of Western liberal democracy for Africa, asserting that it neglects the continent’s rich history, culture, and traditions.
During a key consultation event in Abeokuta, Obasanjo, the event’s organizer, advocates for ‘Afro Democracy,’ emphasizing the need for a system where the majority’s views are genuinely considered.
Obasanjo criticizes Western liberal democracy as a government “of a few people over all the people,” where representatives may not fully represent the entire population.
He contends that this exclusionary approach leaves the majority overlooked or unintentionally marginalized. Proposing ‘Afro Democracy’ as an alternative, he insists that African nations should actively contribute to defining and designing their governance systems.
Highlighting the weaknesses of liberal democracy, Obasanjo questions whether the minority should be ignored or excluded in a system defined as the rule of the majority. He urges a critical examination of the performance of democracy in the West, urging leaders to consider indigenous insights and experiences for a more effective and inclusive system.
In his words;
“The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content and context and its practice.
“Once you move from all the people to a representative of the people, you start to encounter troubles and problems. For those who define it as the rule of the majority, should the minority be ignored, neglected and excluded?
“In short, we have a system of government in which we have no hands to define and design and we continue with it, even when we know that it is not working for us.”
“Those who brought it to us are now questioning the rightness of their invention, its deliverability and its relevance today without reform.
“The essence of any system of government is the welfare and well-being of the people: all the people.
“Here, we must interrogate the performance of democracy in the West when it originated from and with us the inheritors of what we are left with by our colonial powers.
“We are here to stop being foolish and stupid. Can we look inward and outward to see what in our country, culture, tradition, practice and living over the years that we can learn from, adopt and adapt with practices everywhere for a changed system of government that will serve our purpose better and deliver?
“We have to think out of the box and after, act with our new thinking. You are invited here to examine clinically the practice of liberal democracy, identify its shortcomings for our society and bring forth ideas and recommendations that can serve our purpose better, knowing human beings for what we are and going by our experiences and the experiences of others.
“We are here to think as leaders of thought in academia and leaders of thought with some experience in politics.”
