As Nigerians marked Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12, former Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi offered a sobering reflection, saying the country may have achieved civilian rule in 1999 but is still far from real democracy.
Speaking on a special Channels Television programme titled Nigeria’s Democratic Journey: An Inter-Generational Conversation On Building A Better Nation, Fayemi emphasised that the right to vote alone does not equal democratic governance.
“What we mustn’t do is to conflate elections with democracy,” Fayemi said. “What we got was to reestablish the right to vote for our leaders into office in 1999, what we are yet to get is real democracy in my view.
“We got civilian rule, we are proudly on the journey, we now have a semi-democracy, but now we don’t have full democracy.
“The effort that the previous president and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has put into it, we all must build on that.”
Reflecting on his role during Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement, Fayemi recounted his time running the underground Radio Kudirat during the military regime of the late General Sani Abacha.
The radio station was used to broadcast anti-junta messages and keep the democracy struggle alive.
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He admitted that he and his fellow activists took grave risks to challenge military rule.
“It’s not that we were not afraid or we were aimlessly bold, we just didn’t fully think of the enormity of the threat it constituted beyond wanting to do the right thing,” he said.
“I mean, I carried the transmitters of Radio Kudirat on an Air France flight that was destined for Cotonou in the Benin Republic and made a detour to Lagos in the heat of the crisis.
“I could have been picked up on that flight, I would have been history by now as many found themselves to be. During the Oputa Panel Commission, some of the characters that were mandated to eliminate leaders of the struggle came up with their stories.”
He added, “So, we shouldn’t make light of what happened and I don’t by any stretch of imagination want to create the impression that we were invincible in what we did.
“I think some of us are just fortunate that we are still alive. Those who lost their lives were not stupid in what they did, they were following their convictions.”
Fayemi praised President Bola Tinubu for honouring key figures in the democracy movement with national awards on Thursday, but urged him to go further by recognising other unsung heroes, including those involved in Radio Kudirat.