Nigerians better off under military rule – Donald Duke

A former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has argued that Nigerians were better off under military rule than under the current democratic system

Speaking during an interview over the weekend, Duke said that despite 27 years of civilian governance since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, the lives of ordinary Nigerians have not improved significantly.

“The people were better off under the military. At least governance was not that expensive,” he said.

According to Duke, the assessment should be based on citizens’ welfare and the democracy dividends delivered over the years.

“We’re still having the same problems we had 27 years ago. It’s getting worse. The number of children out of school has not improved; it’s deteriorating. The healthcare system is not improving; it’s deteriorating.

“The problems that existed before 1999 electrification, unemployment, those things are still there. And I don’t see a structured approach towards dealing with these issues.”

Duke also criticized Nigeria’s political system, describing the opposition as weak and self-serving, he argued that many citizens have lost faith in elections because they believe their votes do not count.

“The opposition is terribly weakened and self-centred. Democracy is also in danger. The results you get from the polls often don’t reflect the views of the people.”

Duke also blamed the country’s elite for abandoning leadership responsibilities and allowing politics to become a permanent occupation for a select group.

“It’s a failure of the elite more than anything else. We’re elites; we’re enlightened people but we abdicated our leadership to those whom we should be leading.”

He warned that the growing gap between the rich and poor could threaten social stability, recalling a prediction that a time would come when the wealthy would struggle to sleep because of widespread poverty.

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