By HeapNews
A University don in the United States of America, Associate Professor Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia, has called on all well- meaning Nigerians to safe the country’s democracy from collapsing.
The Lincoln University Professor of Business Administration and Marketing in Missouri, USA. made the call at the second edition of the Ajia Colloquium on Democracy and Good Governance held in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, on Sunday, which brought together academics, students, civil society actors, and members of the public to reflect on governance, political participation, and institutional integrity.
In his welcome address, the U.S. -based professor and the convener of the colloquium lamented the level of institutional collapse and erosion of Democratic values currently going on in the country, hence, the theme of the programme: “Interrogating the Nigerian State, Its Democratic Institutions, and the Looming Threats of State Capture”
With various stakeholders at the event raising concerns over the weakening of Nigeria’s democratic institutions and the growing risk of state capture, Abdulmumin urged them not to be silent as their silence could be interpreted as complicity, they should rather become defenders of democratic values, builders of strong institutions, and champions of the Nigerian people.
“Let me be clear: democracy dies in silence. It is weakened not just by those who abuse power, but also by those who stand by and do nothing. This colloquium is not just an academic exercise, it is a clarion call to citizens, civil society, the media, students, policy makers, and public servants: we must reclaim and rebuild the democratic project in Nigeria”.
“We launched this platform not only as an intellectual forum, but as a civic duty, an annual call to interrogate power, demand reform, and reawaken the democratic spirit among citizens, thinkers, and changemakers.
Today’s theme captures the urgency of our times. Democracy is not failing because people have stopped voting. It is failing because those who should defend institutions are subverting them, and those who should speak up have grown dangerously silent”, he said.
Ajia described Nigeria as a republic where democratic rituals, elections, inaugurations, and the waving of manifestos have increasingly become hollow ceremonies, disconnected from the lived experiences and aspirations of the people.
He added that democracy is not just about elections, It is about governance. justice. and accountability. “Democracy is a covenant, a pact between the state and its citizens, built on accountability, justice, and participation. It thrives when citizens are engaged, when institutions are strong, and when power is checked”.
Also speaking at the event, the National Coordinator for the Obedient Movement, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, raised concern that Nigeria’s democracy is being undermined by a government that no longer serves the people.
He argued that the government deliberately keeps people poor by failing to invest in production and development.
According to him, the message is clear: Nigerians must rise and demand good governance, not beg for it, adding that, “we are not requesting good governance-we are demanding it”. Silence, he warns, is no longer an option.
Another speaker, Barrister Iyiola Oyedepo, the lead front for Kwara Redemption Forum, said that elections in Nigeria have become routine exercises that lack real democratic content.
“My opinion is that the outcome of our elections thus far is that of conspiracy of the elites to institute government of their own interests rather than that of the generality of Nigerians.”he said