Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has identified injustice, lack of equity and unfairness as major factors undermining Nigeria’s democratic development, calling for true federalism and strict adherence to the rule of law.
Diri also argued that democracy would continue to struggle in Nigeria unless the country addressed its structural imbalances and embraced fiscal federalism.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Diri spoke on Tuesday while delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue held at the International Conference Centre, Bauchi.
Speaking on the theme, “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?”, Diri said Nigeria had taken the wrong turn in its democratic journey and needed to undertake fundamental reforms to make democracy more beneficial to its citizens.
He identified justice, equity and fairness as the three pillars upon which democracy should be built, stressing that their absence had weakened democratic governance in the country.
Using Bayelsa as an example, the governor criticised what he described as longstanding injustice in the exploitation of natural resources, particularly crude oil, and the distribution of revenue generated from them.
He said oil-producing communities in Bayelsa and across the Niger Delta had continued to suffer developmental deficits more than six decades after oil exploration began, despite the enormous revenue generated for the country.
Diri cited Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, an oil-producing area in Bayelsa, which he said lacked road access for more than 60 years before his administration intervened.
He noted that access to the local government headquarters was also recently improved through the construction of a 630-metre bridge across a river.
According to him, the revenue generated from Bayelsa’s resources is shared nationally among states and local government areas, creating what he described as an unfair arrangement given the disparity in the number of local government areas across states.
The governor said: “Democracy is built on three pillars — justice, equity, and fairness. And I believe that we missed the road of democracy in Nigeria long ago because there is no justice.”
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He further argued that the relationship between natural resource exploitation and insecurity deserved greater attention, citing gold mining in some northern states and the insecurity associated with resource-rich areas.
Diri therefore called for a restructuring of Nigeria’s federal system, insisting that true federalism and greater fiscal autonomy were necessary for democracy to thrive.
“For democracy to thrive in Nigeria, there must be true federalism. Until we begin to practise federalism, we will have some pseudo-democratic, pseudo-autocratic, and sometimes even a tyrannical government in this country,” he said.
The governor commended former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation for sustaining the annual democracy dialogue, describing such platforms as necessary for frank discussions on the country’s democratic development.
He said Nigerians must continue to “jaw-jaw” and engage in constructive dialogue to build a stronger democratic culture and improve the country.
The event was organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in collaboration with the Bauchi State Government and chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In attendance were former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed; former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, among other dignitaries.