Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has emphasized that Western liberal democracy has not been effective for Africa. He argued that liberal democracy does not adequately account for the continent’s history, culture, and traditions.

Obasanjo pointed out that the Western model of democracy has struggled to succeed in Africa because it often fails to take into consideration the views and aspirations of the majority of the African population.InformationGuideNigeria

He made these remarks while delivering a keynote address at a high-level consultation on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa’ in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria. Obasanjo, who organized the event, characterized Western liberal democracy as a system where a few individuals govern over the entire population, and these few representatives may not fully represent the diversity of the people.

His perspective reflects a broader debate on the applicability of Western democratic models in non-Western contexts, with some arguing that such models may not always align with the unique cultural, historical, and political dynamics of African nations. Obasanjo’s comments highlight the ongoing discourse on alternative forms of governance and political systems that may better suit the needs and circumstances of African countries.

”Invariably, the majority of the people are wittingly or unwittingly kept out, he said.”

He advocated for what he termed, ‘Afro democracy’ in place of Western liberal democracy.

According to him, African countries have no business in operating a system of government in which they have no hand in its “definition and design”

Obasanjo said, “The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content and context and its practice.NYSC PORTAL

“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?

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“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.JAMB Portal

“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?JAMB Result

“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.”

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